The ‘consumer’ is dead. The rise of fair trade, renewable energies and the carbon economy is building a new relationship that is impacting all components of the supply chain and every purchase decision – engaging us ever more deeply in all of our trades and transactions.

We are evolving beyond conscious consumers into investors.

The relationship we have with a product is no longer a matter of value and preference and price. We ask questions, not of the product but of its provider, we need to know the business strategy behind the label and the social and environmental impact of our choice. The quality of a product is now measured not just by design and flavour but by the access it provides me for dealing with issues like economic and environmental degradation, a safe, fair and sustainable global economy and, increasingly, climate change.

I am no longer free to chose blindly from imagery and price.
I am inextricably, profoundly engaged in product, in a way I had never understood. World poverty is my poverty, global warming is my global warming, rainforest degradation is my degradation and my money, spent on my products and services, is what is creating my world. If I want to change my world I have to change my buying habits, I have to invest my money in solutions.

Consumers are turning into investors, they are asking “what’s the story?”. In some sectors, like fair trade, this change is actually a transformation. People are investing directly into people who are, in return, delivering a better product, inviting deeper participation and greater investment. The longer it goes on the better and stronger it gets. Immense loyalty is the result.

Loyalty is viral, it builds new communities of belief. These communities of belief are replacing brands, they are the opposite of brands; they are increasingly transparent, accountable and they demonstrate respect for each and every stakeholder. My belief is infectious, and Our belief is all it takes to change the world. Global transformation can be delivered through a shift in values, it is much easier than we think.

Conventional consumer businesses cannot compete with investor businesses and nor should they try. What conventional business must do, and do fast, is to discover its own relevance in a world where people are looking to find their own.

Relevance is no longer just a matter of why you exist and who you exist for, its a matter your right to exist. If you are not part of the solution, you are the issue and you are irrelevant to me.

Link to the Fairtrade Labeling Organisation contact page http://www.fairtrade.net/contact-us.0.html

Link to the World Fair Trade Organization contact page
http://www.wfto.com/index.php?option=com_contact&task=view&contact_id=2

“They are big in FT arena, but can not muster courage to compete in the open market despite all the capacity building. The net result is that new organisations find it difficult to join Fair Trade bandwagon and are deprived of the benefits because of the well entrenched players who thrive on the “long-term relationship” platform.”

You are so D$$$$D right. Too many traditional fair trade organisations are striving to become the fair trade monopolists. How’s that for fair trade?

At Fair Trade Resource Network, where I work, we would like to be a major part of, or even facilitate, such a forum if we had capacity. In the short term, we suggest that higher-capacity Fair Trade nonprofits and businesses, or the Fair Trade Futures Conference, lead such an important effort.

Wouldn’t it be incredible to be part of a system and movement even more effective for social justice?

2. Failure to find and estbalish new markets (specially domestic or regional) . It is possible to promote fair trade big-time in large/prosperous countries like India,Indonesia, Chiina, Malaysia, Korea and Brasil. and in my experience donor agencies are keen to support such initiatives. What one needs is someone who thinks big in terms of impact, not alleviating pverty but chaning system.

3. Failure to effectively combine with Consumer organisations and explore the opportunities to exchange idea and collaborate. I remember that when I was a part of Fair Trade Advocacy Committee, our interests rarely matched with those of Consumer bodies. This result in “Lack of Economies of scale”, thereby making FT goods expensive.

4. Failure to look beyond the obvious. Fair Trade movement has not seriously ventured into “services” sector, which drives economies in many countries. Neither the young generation is invited to support Fair Trade nor does the movement have made new proposition that can attract new people

The movement has little future if corrective steps are not taken as soon as possible. Will the movement do introspection?

Arun Raste

For me the only answer is inverted trading (ie people of good-will prepaying for products in the process bypassing the majority of the costs of the supply chain) but I seem to be the only person that thinks that would work!