18 July 2006
How we can make the world go fair trade
Rachel Itwaru looks at how the little things can make a difference for the fair trade movement.
Have you ever found it difficult to be an effective fair trade advocate? If so, it's likely that you are joined by countless others. Living in a society where nearly everything is commercialised, it's often difficult to avoid making unethical purchases. It's understandably easier in most situations to shop out of convenience, with little regard for the consequences of the daily transactions we make.
Countless numbers of us have expressed mutual dissatisfaction not only with government initiatives to reform unfair trade, but also with ourselves as consumers. Surely, all of us are aware of the conventional ways to be ethical shoppers and, surely, many of us try to abide by those recommendations on principled shopping. Despite this knowledge, I am nearly certain that all of us have been guilty of making some sort of unjust purchase. Before we dwell on those undisclosed grievances against the doctrine of ethical shopping, let's engage in something far more productive - let's assess and address this problem.
How can you as an individual make an impact on the fair trade movement? Commodities from big international corporations frequently account for a large proportion of our individual expenses. As such, we are inclined to pursue them in fair trade campaigns and other initiatives. Although achieving reform on such grand platforms would incite significant changes globally, it is important to keep in mind that many of our purchases are not made in relation to these larger businesses.
International trade is not solely associated with huge companies and global enterprises. What about local shops? Although it seldom occurs to us, when we run to the local convenience store to quickly buy coffee or bread, we are making a purchase with an impact comparable to making a purchase from an established department store. However, local businesses are placed under far less scrutiny where ethics are concerned - perhaps it's time that that we encouraged the close examination of where we, as individual consumers, influence trade every day.
Accessibility seems to be the primary problem. It's typically more feasible to choose a fair trade product over a competitor's product when presented with innumerable choices. But how can you make the right choice where everyday necessities are concerned? One solution is to inform local shopkeepers of how they can make a global difference by distributing fair trade products. Although your efforts may at first seem inconsequential, you should remember that effective campaigning works on the basis of one philosophy: the collective result of many isolated efforts is far greater than the isolated efforts themselves. In other words, know that you're contributing to something considerably greater than your single change.
Act locally in other ways, as well. Although the focus is usually on petitioning national governments, civic governments make up those larger entities, so aggressive campaigning in the form of petitions and locally published articles could very well permeate the grander stage of legislative decision-making. Remember, little things can make a big difference.
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I am currently in secondary school, and I intend on studying economics and political philosophy at university. I first became involved with Oxfam through the Make Trade Fair movement, and I’m particularly interested in the economics of developing countries. I love immersing myself in anything new and interesting. I spent July of 2005 studying politics, economics, and philosophy at Oxford and have, since then, become a self-professed Anglophile. What is there not to love?
