The Four Pillars of Fair Trade: Consumers

Abstract

Consumers who support Fair Trade are often labeled as socially responsible, ethical, green, and eco-friendly. So were the products that were being marketed toward them. Fair Trade products were coming to consumers from many different avenues. Some originate at local coffee roasters who sell steaming cups of retail-priced Fair Trade lattes and cappuccinos. Other Fair Trade products are found at growing numbers of green festivals, cultural bazaars, eco-selling events, and church sales. Still others are found in Fair Trade specialty stores such as eco-boutiques, or chains such as Ten Thousand Villages. Fair Trade goods are also present in mainstream markets being sold at over 40 thousand supermarkets in the United States alone and large retail outlets such as Walmart, or chains such as Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks, and McDonalds (Krier, 2008, p. 14). Still more Fair Trade products become brands or ingredients, purchased and managed by large corporations such as Nestle (commercial coffee service, Kit Kat), Avon (body cream), and General Mills (Lara Bar) (Fair Trade USA, 2012c). Thousands of small, independent Fair Trade wholesalers and retailers also work directly with producers and sell their goods online and at industry trade shows.