CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Craigie on Main here is one of those socially conscious restaurants where the food is as moral as it is tasty. The chicken had roamed freely. The vegetables had sprouted locally. I could only assume that the tuna, before being sashimied, enjoyed a massage and that the fennel had signed consent forms to be crushed into ice cream.
When the steak arrived, the chef himself appeared to announce that the cow had been well tended.
: You mean, before they killed him?! I thought to myself.
It has many names:: buycotting,! ethical consumerism, moral economics, latte activism, critical consumption. Whatever you call it, buying is getting ever more political across the affluent world.
A car is no longer just a car, nor a cup of coffee just a cup of coffee. In the age of hybrids and fair trade, the mall is a forum to express convictions and hopes.
Today one can buy not just carbon offsets, organic fruit and recycled paper, but also a iPod whose purchase combats mother-to-child H.I.V. transmission in Africa; a sneaker from Timberland made of biodegradable wool and organically tanned leather;: green weapons! like reduced-lead bullets from BAE Systems, the British armaments maker; and fair-trade condoms, made with sustainable latex (marketing pitch:: for guilt-free lovers who want to feel good in every way!).
On the surface, all seems well. But, as the trend has gathered stream, a debate has begun over the political meaning of buycotting: is consumption an exciting new form of citizenship? Or is it a sign of how corroded citizenship has become that shopping is the closest many of us are willing to come to worrying about labor laws, trade agreements, agriculture policy about good old-fashioned politics?
Political consumption is not new; its history streaks through the civil-rights movement, the campaign against apartheid and other causes. What is new is that boycotting is surrendering to buycotting, the sending of positive, not just negative, signals; and that it is practiced increasingly by mainstream shoppers, not just die-hard activists.
Political consumption also perhaps supports a new-age behavioral theory: that human beings, long imagined by traditional economists to be rational, utilitarian creatures, in fact have more complex longings, and often are willing to sacrifice economically for an idea or feeling.
A study published this fall in the Political Science Quarterly found that 62 percent of Americans were willing to pay $5 extra for a $20 sweater produced more ethically, and three-quarters would spend 50 cents a pound more for fair-trade coffee.
Proponents of buycotting see these premiums as pure political expression: citizens´ parting with money to refine the world. Some even argue that cash-voting goes further than ballot-casting: we buy, and thereby incentivize producers, every day; but we vote far less often.
: We are convinced that how people buy can be more effective than how they vote,! said Francesco Galante, a director of Comitato Addiopizzo, a civic group in Palermo, Sicily, that has taken on the mafia using an analogue of fair-trade labeling. In 2004, some volunteers in Palermo decided to bypass politicians: they approached local businesses, many of which paid the mafia: pizzo,! or bribes, and asked them to certify that they paid pizzo no longer; in exchange, the Comitato brought them business from pizzo-averse Sicilians.
Today 400 businesses and 9,000 customers have joined, even though products from law-abiding companies often cost more.
But, like all apparently wonderful things, ethical consumption has begun to attract critics.
One set are free-enterprise champions who argue that politicizing consumption distorts prices and spurs overproduction while imposing arbitrary conditions on producers like insisting that developing-world farmers enroll their children in school that might sound good to Westerners but ignore complex local realities.
Insisting on the noblest production methods conflicts, these critics say, with the very function of markets: to bring the most goods to the most people as cheaply as possible.
Another group of critics doesn´t deny political consumption´s power. Rather, they bemoan that citizenship has come to this.
Citizenship, for them, is about voting, marching, writing about being involved. In the modern age, they say, we have begun to turn inward, bowl alone, shirk our public duties. And now comes this cheap (in the moral, if not economic, sense) way to participate just a little, assuage guilt just a little, involve ourselves just a little in AIDS and trade, feel just a little of activism´s thrill.
In an article last year in The Lancet, the British medical journal, the scholars Colleen O´Manique and Ronald Labonte strongly condemned RED, the marketing campaign for iPods and other products whose purchase helps to finance the battle against H.I.V./AIDS in Africa.
: Be wary of the 21st century´s new noblesse oblige that replaces the efficiency of tax-funded programs and transfers in improving health equity with a consumption-driven ‘charitainment´ model,! they wrote.
Market citizenship, as critics call it, lets the state off easy, they say. Public goods like health systems should be publicly provided, they say. If organic vegetables are better, then we should all eat them, instead of just the elite. And privatizing compassion may tempt the state to neglect problems; then, when a recession slows shopping, AIDS orphans languish waiting for you to buy sunglasses.
It is worth asking which problems demand politics and which the mall. Child labor in Vietnam and unscrupulous intermediaries in the coffee trade lent themselves to buycotting. What can the market do about Darfur or health care in the United States?
The question, at bottom, is this: have we, with our ethical cars and condoms and carrots, found a way to make markets humane? Or have we rather found a way to make politics bearable to us by turning it into shopping?
Anand Giridharadas writes the column: Currents,! on ideas, for The International Herald Tribune and nytimes.com.
A version of this article appeared in print on October 11, 2009 in Week in Review, NY Times
This just in from a fresh produce industry paper. Consumers are more and more concerned about the processes behind their products. The broken economy has encouraged customers to see linkages between their collective actions. An optimistic outlook for fair trade and responsible consumption in general. This year with over 19,000 attendees, the Fresh Summit is the largest produce conference in the US, held annually. -michela*
Produce industry faces changed world after recession
http://thepacker.com Published on 10/04/2009 09:00am By Dawn Withers
ANAHEIM, Calif. As the economy begins to slowly recover, the produce industry faces a radically different business environment where consumers have less loyalty and are concerned about sustainability.
Dawn Withers
Bryan Silbermann, president of the Produce Marketing Association, speaks about the future of the produce industry during his annual outlook presentation at Fresh Summit on Oct. 3.
Bryan Silbermann, president of the Produce Marketing Association, said during his annual outlook presentation at Fresh Summit on Oct. 3 that while consumers are looking to get more value for their produce purchases and are spending less, they want to connect to the items they buy and the companies that grow them.
: Getting back to basics is about supporting the community,! Silbermann said.
In the new economy, Silbermann said consumers are concerned about the ethics behind the produce they buy, whether workers are paid well or how the produce is grown, and feel they are bettering their communities through locally sourced produce.
: It´s a fundamental shift in how some people view their place in the world,! Silbermann said.
In the rich soils of Tucumán, interrupcion* fair trade blueberries soak in warm sun while surrounded by the high Andes mountains and sugarcane fields. Berries del Aconquija S. A. & Berries del NOA are farms founded by Francisco and Pablo, two entrepreneurs that made social responsibility and sustainability their guiding principles. Back in 2005, when they were writing their business plan they contacted interrupcion* to help them to measure and maximize their social and environmental impact. We worked with them to identify their communities and their needs. At that time, they built strong ties with the local organizations giving them support and guidance in understanding of the main issues facing the community. As soon as both companies were formed and the farms went into production, Pablo and Fran decided to certify their operations with Nature´s Choice Certification and Global Gap Certification. Both certifications guarantee safe labor conditions, monitor and regulate environmental impact and establish guidelines for good relationships with workers.
One of the first projects implemented was to invite local bank representatives to the farm to help permanent and temporary workers open their own savings accounts, so they can manage their money safely and take the first steps toward establishing credit. They then realized that some local labor contractors were using false registrations to avoid paying the national minimum wage to temporary workers. In response, Pablo and Fran rewrote their agreement with labor contractors to guarantee proof of payment for each temporary worker and installed a fingerprint scanner on the farm to ensure that those working on the farm are getting paid.
In 2007, interrupcion* started the fair trade certification program and Pablo and Fran were enthusiastic about getting involved and working towards fair trade certification.
The good relationships that they had cultivated with workers, their genuine concern for labor & social issues, and their well defined and documented processes helped them to obtain Fair Trade certification. As time went by, sales of Fair Trade berries made the social Premium fund grow and the workers showed a serious commitment to their communities, eager to create positive social change. In this rural and poor area. Workers decided to invest some premium money to solve urgent problems that their community was facing: a lack of shoes for the children of the community school, a necessary but expensive surgery for a very ill child, and the purchase of a specialized wheel chair for a severely handicapped child.In addition, as Pablo, Fran, and interrupcion* taught during assemblies, workers need to be organized to create an institution governed by themselves to address the most important issues that they face as a community. From this awareness came the decision to create an independent branch of Asociación Civil Interrupción* in Tucumán to provide goods and services for all the workers and their communities, goods and services often basic but difficult to obtain. Two main projects are being evaluated by the workers and Asociación Civil Interrupción:
- The creation of a community bakery to provide affordable and healthy bread
- The creation of a community factory to produce bricks and provide affordable materials for housing and small construction projects in the community.
Fran and Pablo are supporting these projects on their farms through a commitment to Fair Trade practices and are advising and assisting workers by providing the tools and freedom necessary to create make them a reality. Asociación Civil Interrupción is working closely with the workers committee to bring their projects to life and to continue to define and implement projects that can harness the benefits of Fair Trade in this community.
Launched by All Day Buffet, The NEW York 100 highlights 100 of the most innovative, rule- breaking, model-changing ideas to come out of the Big Apple.
In case you haven’t heard of us, All Day Buffet connects, develops, and launches purpose-driven ventures with the goal of bringing together creative, social and business worlds. Through our work, we’ve become inundated with stories of great endeavors like yours around the city and thought it necessary to create The New York 100 as a way to share, support and draw greater attention to this shift.
Why? The world is reeling from the fallout of the financial crisis and current recession and the foundations of New York’s stronghold have been called into question. But these times of crisis offer huge opportunities to change the foundations of how we do everything from business, to education and even eating out. Call it social innovation, intelligent capitalism, idealistic enterprise: All Day Buffet is turning the spot light on some of the most creative, resourceful, and innovative people, companies and movements in New York. All rebuilding the city better and brighter and recreating the way we understand the world.
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Monsanto Co and Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc are formalizing a partnership to breed broccoli, spinach and other vegetables that would be more attractive to consumers.
The five-year collaboration, announced on Tuesday, will focus on creating variations of broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and spinach, the companies said in a statement.
The focus of their efforts is to breed more colorful, tastier vegetables that are less susceptible to bruising and have a longer shelf-life.
“If I buy broccoli on Saturday or Sunday and try to cook it on Wednesday, it’ll get wilty,” Monsanto spokeswoman Riddhi Trivedi-St. Clair said of one of reasons for the program.
She also stressed that these new variants will not be genetically modified like the company’s corn seed and soybean products, a much larger operation for Monsanto.
Also known for its herbicide business, Monsanto has been aggressively growing its vegetable business with recent moves such as the 2005 acquisition of Seminis, which gave Monsanto control over more than 30 percent of the North American vegetable seed market. In 2008, Monsanto acquired Netherlands-based De Ruiter Seeds, whose focus is in greenhouse vegetable growth as opposed to the open-field expertise of Seminis.
Dole and Monsanto had previously been working together on fresh vegetables, though the agreement announced on Tuesday formalized the venture, said Dole spokesman Marty Ordman.
Last year, Monsanto also entered into an agreement with packaged food maker Apio to develop broccoli and cauliflower products.
Should new products be created under the collaboration, they could be sold by Dole in North America.
Monsanto shares were up 1.1 percent at $78.95 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
(Additional reporting by Jessica Wohl, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)
As a nonpartisan coalition of Fair Trade organizations, vendors, and consumers, we cordially invite you to help extend the fair trade movement by declaring the White House a: Fair Trade Home.!
For more than sixty years, the Fair Trade movement has strived to create social and economic opportunities for the world´s poorest communities. As you know well, it is the poor who most acutely feel the effects of economic turbulence, climate change, and isolation. Fair Trade combats these issues.
As you may be aware, the movement toward ethical and sustainable consumption has grown to include faith-based centers, college campuses, businesses and individuals. The United States is also home to eleven: Fair Trade Towns/Cities! including Media, PA, Brattleboro, VT, Milwaukee, WI, Amherst, MA, Taos, NM, Northampton, MA, San Francisco, CA, Montclair, NJ, Ballston Spa, NY, Chico, CA, and Bluffton, OH.
Knowing that you and the President share these values, we invite you to extend the Fair Trade movement by making the White House a: Fair Trade Home! and increasing the number of items used by the White House which have been sourced according to Fair Trade principles. By requesting that your staff purchase items like food, body-care, and clothing made or sourced under Fair Trade Principles, your family´s example would show Americans how their purchasing habits can alleviate poverty, reduce inequality, and create opportunities for people to help themselves.
As a coalition of organizations, vendors, and consumers supporting Fair Trade, we represent 81 organizations, account for over $3.91 billion in annual sales and work with approximately 56,480 artisans, farmers, and producers around the world.
We started today our North Region Certification Tour. We´ll be with Alejandra, the IMO Inspector, visiting our associate producers to renew the Fair Trade Certification.
: From Arbenz to Zelaya: Chiquita in Latin America!
: When the Honduran military overthrew the democratically elected government of Manuel Zelaya two weeks ago there might have been a sigh of relief in the corporate board rooms of Chiquita banana,! writes journalist Nikolas Kozloff.: Earlier this year the Cincinnati-based fruit company joined Dole in criticizing the government in Tegucigalpa which had raised the minimum wage by 60%.! Kozloff goes on to trace Chiquita´s: long and sordid! political history in Central America. [includes rush transcript]
Nikolas Kozloff, journalist and author of Revolution!: South America and the Rise of the New Left.
The Financial Times and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, today announced Root Capital as the recipient of its Achievement in Banking at the Bottom of the Pyramid Award. The award recognizes ground-breaking financial transactions and initiatives that address the Bottom or Base of the Pyramid (BoP), the more than 4 billion people who live on less than US$2 a day. It highlights the development and delivery of innovative, viable, and replicable financial products and services that engage and empower the poor.
Root Capital, a nonprofit social investment fund that is pioneering finance for rural communities, provides capital, financial training, and market connections to grassroots businesses such as farmer and artisan cooperatives that build sustainable livelihoods and transform rural communities in poor, environmentally vulnerable places. Since its launch in 1999, Root Capital has provided more than $120 million in loans to 235 small and growing businesses, representing 360,000 individuals in 30 countries throughout Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Root Capital is honored to be recognized for addressing the needs of the Base of the Pyramid.: Filling the ‘missing middle´ of finance in developing countries the
underserved gap between microfinance and corporate banking plays an important role in alleviating global poverty,! said William Foote, Founder and CEO of Root Capital.
: Root Capital´s growing impact is the result of a collaborative, market-based approach that provides grassroots businesses with resources they need to succeed and thrive in
the global economy.!
Now in their fourth year, the FT and IFC awards recognize banks and financial institutions that have shown leadership and innovation in integrating social,
environmental, and corporate governance considerations into their operations. Winners were selected from a pool of 165 entries from 117 institutions across 42 countries. Other
award categories included, Achievement in Basic Needs Financing, Sustainable Investor of the Year, Sustainable Bank of the Year and Emerging Markets Sustainable Bank of
the Year.
: The financial crisis has necessitated a re-assessment of the way in which banks and investment houses operate, and the winners of these Awards are radically changing the
industry´s approach to risk and opportunity. These Awards recognise the responsibility institutions have in providing solutions to the world´s most pressing issues and how they
are meeting those objectives in a financially viable way,! said Lionel Barber, Editor of the Financial Times.
: The current crisis underscores that sustainability is at the core of building a healthy global economy. A growing number of financial institutions, especially those in emerging
markets, are driving this change by proving that promoting a clean environment and serving those at the bottom of the pyramid can be sources of business opportunities. We
are pleased these awards celebrate their innovation and leadership,! said Lars Thunell, IFC Executive Vice President and CEO.
About Root Capital
Root Capital is pioneering finance for grassroots businesses that build sustainable livelihoods and transform rural communities in poor, environmentally vulnerable places. By working with small and growing businesses such as farmer cooperatives and artisan associations, Root Capital aims to fill the: missing middle! of finance in developing countries the underserved gap between microfinance and corporate banking. Industry partners and investors include Ashoka, Calvert Social Investment Foundation, Citi Foundation, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, Foley Hoag LLP, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inter-American Development Bank, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Kendeda Sustainability Fund, Peru Opportunity Fund, The Rockefeller Foundation, Skoll Foundation, Starbucks Coffee Company, and Trillium Asset Management Corporation. For more information, visit www.rootcapital.org.
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, creates opportunity for people to escape poverty and improve their lives. We foster sustainable economic growth in developing
countries by supporting private sector development, mobilizing private capital, and providing advisory and risk mitigation services to businesses and governments. Our new
investments totaled $16.2 billion in fiscal 2008, a 34 percent increase over the previous year. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.
Week 3: The Local Movement * Fair Trade and Organic Certification
Week 4: Marketing and the Growth of the Conscious Consumer
Week 5: Organizations: Social Change * Integration of Public and Private Interests
Week 6: Socially Responsible Supply Chains, from the seeds to the consumers
Week 7: Participation: Fair Trade in a Neo-Liberal Paradigm
Week 8: Social Entrepreneurship and Non-Profits; Field Trip: LES Girls Club
Week 9: The Global Fair Trade Movement & Market
Week 10: Bringing Fair Trade to your school and community; Guest speaker Amanda White, a lifelong interrupter* & the NYU Oxfam President 2007
Quantitative Results
Number of Agents* hired: 14
Number of Agents continuing to work: 3
Number of RCC* sessions: 216
Number of Consumers contacted in-store: 15,327
Number of units sold and amount of Social Premiums generated per product
interrupcion* fair trade (InFT*)
InFT* Oil
InFT* Chimi
InFT* Green Olive
InFT* Black Olive
Totals
625
1026
293
509
2453 UNITS
$171.88
$143.64
$32.82
$57.01
$405.34
Qualitative Results (Agent* Evaluations)
Questions: What was your favorite Wed session? What did you learn?What do you wish you would have learned? What was your favorite part of this internship?What was your least favorite?
AGENT* OF SOCIAL CHANGE: Emily*, Hamden, CT
My favorite part was getting to know more about fair trade and becoming more confident and comfortable talking about it.My favorite Wednesday session was our field trip to the Lower East Side Girls Club.
AGENT* OF SOCIAL CHANGE: Jesse*, Boulder, CO
Working with a company that is pursuing a green sustainable future for all world citizens was my favorite part.Being an environmental science and history major I enjoyed actually getting out in the fireld and spreading the ideology.
Being very shy the RCCs were tough at times, but it was a good learning experience. I learned about the many steps it takes to running a successful, new, green business.
AGENT* OF SOCIAL CHANGE: Leigh*, Ringwood, NJ
I really enjoyed the meetings, especially the one about certification.
I learned a lot about the economics of fair trade, which is great! I tend to be more people focused with is what drew me to fair trade to begin with but it was good to learn about different aspects of the movements.
AGENT* OF SOCIAL CHANGE: Kelly´e*, Atlanta, GA
My favorite part of the internship was being taken out of my comfort zone and thrown into speaking to people in the grocery stores.I have no fear with going to people and speaking about fair trade.My favorite Wednesday session was when Amanda came. I feel really confident in reaching out to ‘the other´ now!
I learned that along with the growing need for people to change the way they are consuming there are people who really care enough to teach.I have become the person who wants to change my patterns and am the person who wants to teach.I´ve also learned patience.
I would love to be a part of interrupcion* in the futureI never want to stop being a apart of it.I never want to stop being a part of it.If there is a way more offices can pop up around the country I´m down!If there are future trips to Argentina to meet the farmers and do any kind of work I am down!This Summer has been life changing for me.I have changed the way I think the way I interact with people, and the way I life life in general.I a m so thankful for this opportunity that interrupcion* has given me and even more thankful that I can bring what I have learned to the South and share with family, friends, and strangers. Becoming an Agent* of Social Change allowed me to change the lives of others and like I said, mine! I couldn´t have chosen a better Summer to be a part of interrupcion*.I am 21 and am in the prime of my youth and looking forward to the future and bringing interrupcion* with me.Thank you.
AGENT* OF SOCIAL CHANGE, Claud, Washington D.C
I enjoy just getting to talk to different people, who are genuinely interested to hear about fair trade. I enjoy hearing customers tell their family say, “Hey, you should ask her about the cool story behind these products.” I thoroughly enjoydiscussing responsible consumption and answering their questions about fair trade, but most of all leaving them empowered even just at the end of those few minutes.
My favorite Wednesday session was when we went to the Lower East Side Girls’ Club. It was very inspiring to meet those girls, who were making such a big impact in their community.
I learned a lot about communicating to different people and how to sell to them, not only the product, but also a lifestyle of consuming responsibly. I learned that I shouldn’t judge people’s appearances nor assume their knowledge and preferences.
AGENT* OF SOCIAL CHANGE Tara*, NYC, NY
My favorite part was definitely opening my eyes to a lot of consumer options and responsibilities that I wasn´t aware of before.As for the Wednesday sessions, I actually really liked in the beginning where we shared our experiences because it made me feel like I wasn´t so alone in any frustrations or oddities which may have happened.
My least favorite part was definitely the frustration of having people tell you they didn´t want to hear what you had to say, or that the didn´t want to support Argentina in any way.
I learned a lot.Coming into this internship I didn´t know much about fair trade, organic, or even all of the consumption talks that we did.
_______________________
AGENT* OF SOCIAL CHANGE: Tanya*, Fort Lee, NJ
My favorite part was realizing there is hope for the world.My favorite Wednesday session was learning more about connection chains and linkages.I learned about that in school so it was great to be able to apply the theory to something tangible.
I learned that fair trade and sustainability is marketable to people who appear as if they won´t care. I wish I would have learned a little bit more about other fair trade markets.
I´d love to continue learning about fair trade / doing RCC* session.Interrupcion* has found a successful and positive way to create development techniques that help instead of hurt and that is what my goal for the future is.
AGENT* OF SOCIAL CHANGE: Erica*, NYC, NY
My favorite part was getting t know other people who feel passionate about fair trade and having such great discussions.I really loved the session where we talked about fair trade verses local.
RCC* sessions were sometimes a little hard to handle.I didn´t realize how much marketing / sales would be involved when I applied for the internship, and I think talking about that more on the job description would be beneficial.
I learned SO much about fair trade, organics, social movements, certification, etc! I love how I feel more confident in my knowledge and feel comfortable holding conversations on these areas and telling others.
AGENT* OF SOCIAL CHANGE: Shaunagh*, Boston, MA
Favorite Part= Getting to know everyone, and having thought provoking discussions on Wednesdays. Favorite Wednesday Session= All!
Least Favorite Part= Lugging supplies to stores
I learned how much impact I as an individual can have on the lives of other individuals, and also how the efforts of many can reflect such REAL change.
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