Capitalism and Fair Trade

Peer Discussion

Like many people, I have purchased Fair Trade coffee at Starbucks, and also clothing that advertises itself as Fair Trade. Fair Trade purchases do make consumers feel better about the sourcing of goods like coffee and textiles which may be of problematic origin. I agree that conscious capitalism is what many of us are aiming for, which enables us to use our purchasing power by obtaining goods from people who have been previously disenfranchised by globalism, or, in the case of green products, items that can hopefully lessen our ecological footprint. It often requires a fair amount of research, however, to determine if the Fair Trade items are really benefiting the people the business says it is benefiting, or if the so-called green product is really superior for the environment. I also agree with Hira & Ferrie (2006) that there have been struggles for Fair Trade products to achieve widespread acceptance, and current rising prices on all consumer goods (Fair Trade tends to me more expensive) will intensify this.