Some Resources on Fair Trade

Three Books to Read

50 Reasons to Buy Fair Trade. John Madeley and Miles Litvinoff, Pluto Press, 2007. To order, click here.
An accessible journey through some of the reasons why we need Fair Trade -- and how we can support it.

Fair Trade: Market-Driven Ethical Consumption. Alex Nicholls and Charlotte Opal. Sage Publications, 2005. To order, click here.
An academic consideration of Fair Trade's origins, current manifestations and future.

Markets, Fair Trade and the Kingdom of God, ed Peter Johnson and Christopher Catherwood.Traidcraft and Regnum Books, 2001.
Essays combining theological and developmental perspectives, primarily by key figures from Traidcraft.

Copies of these books may be borrowed from CCOW.

Online Resources to Download

Basic Introductions

• Fairtrade Explained (Fairtrade Foundation)
• Introducing Fairtrade (FLO International) -- designed for producers, so more depth
• A Better Deal: The FAIRTRADE Mark Explained (Fairtrade Foundation)
• Fifty Years of Fair Trade: A Brief History of the Fair Trade Movement (EFTA and IFAT)
• The Fair Trade Movement: Parameters, Issues and Future Research (Geoff Moore) -academic introductory paper looking at Fair Trade from a business/business ethics perspective. Comprehensive and comprehensible.
• Why Fairtrade? (FLO International) -- brief summary of aims and objectives

Bible Study, Prayer and Theology

• "Fairtrade and Faith" (Fr Rob Esdailles) -- theological reflection on Fair Trade
• Ideas for Worship (Fairtrade Fortnight -- Tea focus), Harvest Resources, and Prayers, Poems and Reflections (Traidcraft)
• Prayers (CCOW -- download below)
• Sketch ("Praying for Change") (Traidcraft)

Facts and Figures, Case Studies and Academic Papers

• Facts and Figures for Fair Trade in Europe: 1995, 1998, 2001 and 2006 (EFTA)
• Fair Trade in Europe 2005 (FLO, IFAT, NEWS, EFTA) -- facts and figures on Fair Trade in 25 countries
  
• Producer Profiles from Transfair USA -- a series of 1 page pdfs profiling different producer groups
• The background research for Oxfam's coffee report, Mugged, offers several case studies (Oxfam)
• Making Trade Work for the Producers: Fifteen Years of Fairtrade Labelled Coffee in the Netherlands (Max Havelaar Foundation) -- comprehensive overview of Fairtrade labelled coffee, with some very good producer case studies
• One Cup at a Time: Poverty Alleviation and Fair Trade in Latin America (Colorado State Fair Trade Research Group) -- case studies of Fairtrade coffee impacts in Latin America
• Thriving in a Hostile Environment: Fairtrade's Role as a Positive Mechanism for Disadvantaged Producers (Alex Nicholls)

Church Activities

• Promoting Fair Trade -- Events that Engage (CCOW -- download below)
• Promoting Fair Trade -- Making Products Available (CCOW -- download below)

Fair Trade and Environmental Issues

• Environmental Benefits of Fairtrade Coffee, Cocoa and Tea (Transfair USA) -- A4 sheet
• Environmental Benefits of Fairtrade Fruit (Transfair USA) -- A4 sheet
  
• Fair Trade and Food Miles: Should we buy food from the other side of the world? (Wokingham Fair Trade Campaign) -- A5 leaflet advocating a local first and Fairtrade if imported approach
• "Fair Miles"? The concept of "food miles" through a sustainable development lens (IIED)

Fair Trade and Wider Trade Issues

• Fairness in Trade (UK Food Group) -- report examines how one could extend the concept of fair trading throughout the retail sector

Information about Fairtrade Products and Availability

• List of Fairtrade Product Categories (CCOW -- download below)
• Fairtrade Retail Products and Availability (Fairtrade Foundation) -- the "long list" -- comprehensive, if slightly daunting
  
• Out of Home Directories of Registered Distributors for cafes etc (Fairtrade Foundation)

  For local information, go to our Where to Buy Fair Trade locally page.

Resources Focused on Specific Products

Bananas (for a far more complete listing, visit BananaLink)

• European Trade Rules and the Threat to Fairtrade Bananas (Fairtrade Foundation)
• Unpeeling the Banana Trade (Fairtrade Foundation)
  

Cocoa

• Fair Trade Cocoa Backgrounder (Transfair USA) -- Basic facts for US campaigners
• Fair Trade Cocoa Fast Facts (Transfair USA) -- Zingy facts to spice up your presentations
• Monitoring Impact of Fair Trade Initiatives: A Case Study of Kuapa Kokoo and the Day Chocolate Company (Ronchi/TWIN)
  

Coffee

• Fair Trade Coffee Backgrounder (Transfair USA) -- Basic facts for US campaigners
• Fair Trade Coffee Fast Facts (Tranfair USA) -- Zingy facts to spice up your presentations
• Making Trade Work for the Producers: Fifteen Years of Fairtrade Labelled Coffee in the Netherlands (Max Havelaar Foundation) -- comprehensive overview of Fairtrade labelled coffee, with some very good producer case studies
• Mugged : Poverty in Your Coffee Cup (Oxfam) . The background research for Mugged , including several good case studies and sets of interviews, is also available on Oxfam's website.
• One Cup at a Time: Poverty Alleviation and Fair Trade in Latin America (Colorado State Fair Trade Research Group) -- case studies of Fairtrade coffee impacts in Latin America

Cotton

• "Follow the Thread" (ft.com; if you do not have access to the FT online, contact CCOW to borrow the article)

Roses

• Fairtrade Roses -- Questions and Answers (Fairtrade Foundation)

Articles Critiquing Fair Trade or Aspects Thereof -- and Responses to Them

"Good Food?" Economist, 7 December 2006.

Alan Beattie's "Follow the Thread" not only presents a case study in cotton, but also offers a balanced assessment of some of these common criticisms of Fair Trade.

Photographs courtesy of the Fairtrade Foundation, www.fairtrade.org.uk