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Essay All About Fair Trade
An essay on fair trade
Essay All About Fair Trade
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TECHNICAL UNIVERSITAET BERGAKADEMIE, FREIBERG
Fair Trade & Eco-Labels
Submitted by-
Melvin Babu(59223)
Anurag Negi (59210)
5th June 2015
International Economics & Development
SS 2015
IMRE
Submitted to-
Prof. Dr. Dirk Rübbelke
(Allgemeine Volkswirtschaftslehre, insbesondere Rohstoffökonomik) Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg
Table of Contents
1. Introduction 1
2. Fair trade 2
i. Definition & Goals ii. Pros iii. Cons
3. Eco-Labels 3
i. Definition & Implementation ii. Objectives and Guiding Principles iii. Benefits iv. Challenges
4. Incentives for adopting Eco-Label schemes 5
5. Future Trends in Eco labelling 6
6. Conclusion 7
References
Introduction Today is an age of
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As defined by the Fair Trade Foundation, fair trade is a social movement which focuses on providing reasonable prices, sustainability in locality, friendly and decent working conditions, and equitable terms of trade for workers, farmers and other producers in the developing world. Fair trade started in early 1940s with a vision to provide equal rights for the producers of poverty-stricken communities around the globe. It started with some European and US organisations which sold their handicrafts and other goods at a fair price in developed countries which eventually lead to the formation of a fair trade labelling system started in 1990. Modern fair trade protects the farmers and producers of tropical commodities like coffee, palm oil, banana, tea, cocoa, etc. from the multinationals and the middlemen exploitations. Fair trade is about improving the position of producers within the poorest nations and also the nations which are developing so that they could sell their goods on a global market, which in fact would make their economy stronger and more vital.
“Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency
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Despite of having many benefits, the consideration of economic incentives of companies mostly focuses on two most important things: increased profitability and increased predictability of future profitability. The most important constituent of profitability is price premia which should be considered in long term pricing and costs. It is to be noted that the long term profits will not necessarily be higher in eco-labelled markets as compared to normal market, but thing worth considering is that how procurement policies could help to make sustainable production more profitable than the unsustainable alternatives. Considering this, government can support eco-labelling by creating incentives for itself and by creating policies that encourage private bodies to encourage economic incentives as
Wright, L. T., & Heaton, S. (2006). Fair Trade marketing: an exploration through qualitative research. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 14(4), 411-426. doi:10.1080/09652540600948019
Trade is the most common form of transferring ownership of a product. The concepts are very simple, I give you something (a good or service) and you give me something (a good or service) in return, everyone is happy. However, trade is not limited to two individuals. There are trades that happen outside national borders and we refer to that as international trading. Before a country does international trading, they do research to understand the opportunity costs and marginal costs of their production versus another countries production. Doing this we can increase profit, decrease costs and improve overall trade efficiency. Currently, there are negotiations going on between 11 countries about making a trade agreement called the Trans-Pacific
Industrialization is the process in which an economy is changed from an agricultural economy to a manufacturing approach and manual labor is replaced by machines in factories. Industrialization brought a more diverse amount of goods and more total goods and improved living for many but, for others it resulted in harsh working and living conditions for the poor and working class. Many positives and negative were present during the industrialization of the U.S. Positives such as more goods being distributed, easier way of doing things, and being able to mass produce. Negatives like children working long and difficult jobs and many workers having poor working conditions.
Fair trade should give protection to governments from exploitation. For example, small farmers can be protected by giving government food sovereignty. An article from the Chicago Democratic Socialist Organization proposed, “The agreement must return to governments the ability to safeguard food sovereignty by protecting family and small-scale subsistence farmers” (Chicago Democratic Socialist). Rewriting the agreement can protect the small farms and retain jobs for farm workers. The article further addressed an issue discussed previously, “Large-scale importation of basic grains into Mexico is a major cause of the economic collapse of rural communities, which forces millions of undocumented migrants to seek work in the USA” (Chicago Democratic Socialist). Therefore, it would solve problems both in the US and Mexico. It will take efforts of the many to renegotiate NAFTA, and many other terms needs to be added. The general direction should focus on protecting the interest of the general public by restricting corporate powers. Fair trade will reduce the problems caused by
...ystem primarily responsible for promoting global competition. Free trade also promotes shifts in production so as to fit the “comparative advantage” model. Though free trade is widely practiced concerns with how to regulate free trade, something supposedly unregulated, countries have to subject themselves to the controversial institutions of the IMF and WTO. Fair trade policies while potentially creating smaller markets support workers’ rights in both the U.S. and developing nations. Though the pros and cons of globalization continue to be debated the United States can no longer escape its role in the global economy nor can it impose policies that are detrimental to the United States founding ideals. However policies that play towards the advantages of both free and fair trade could stimulate a healthy domestic economy that is also competitive in the global market.
Fair trade international is also jointly owned and managed by certified producers. Producers are able to influence the overall strategy, premiums, prices and standards through fair trade internationals board, its consultation processes and commitees. Stable prices: there is a fairtrade minimum price that’s set to cover the cost of production sustainability, even when prices fall in the world market drop. Empowerment of farmers and workers: farmer groups must be certified by having visible administration and democratic basis and structure. There must be representatives of workers on the committees that decide how to use the premium from fair trade. Fair trade supports both groups to develop in this area. A Fairtrade Premium: the premium helps them create a better life for themselves. It is paid in addition to the agreed upon fair trade price, and they choose democratically how to spend it. Usually they spend it on health care, education, processing facilities or farm improvments to improve
Capitalism is an economic system in which the production and distribution are privately owned, the government involvement is minimal,and there is free enterprise. In Capitalism, the means of production are privately owned and operated for profit in a competitive market. Also the economic investment, ownership and profits are all owned by individuals. Under capitalism the state is separated from the economy, which means that the government has no role in business. In other words, everyone works for themselves. The market forces in a capitalist country runs by supply and demand which it determines the price and later on it turns into profits. Supply is the quantity of goods and services a business is willing to sell, while Demand is the quantity of goods and services consumers are willing to buy. Therefore, Capitalism is the best economic system because it rewards the ones that work hard and since the government does not control trade, there is a large variety of goods and creates options for consumers to fit their personal needs.
Fair Trade coffee truly presents a difficult dilemma: through attempts to help farmers it sometimes backfires in certain areas and ends up hindering instead. Rules for the guaranteed market, guaranteed price floor, and opposition of child labor all originate from good-hearted desires to improve the lives of coffee farmers. Unfortunately, the situation many coffee farmers face cannot be so easily solved. The process of moving Fair Trade to the next level of functionality may not come quickly: it may take years, even decades. But that does not matter; rather, it matters much more that we ensure that the issues are addressed and thought over rather than simply swept under the carpet with the National Debt. With care and creativity Fair Trade can grow if we simply put forth the effort required to help it do so.
The movement particularly emphasizes on exports from developing countries to developed countries, with products such as handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine, fresh fruit, chocolate, flowers and gold. Moreover, coffee is one of the most widely traded goods in the world. For many developing countries, coffee trade is an important source of income. Producers can provide a better trading and improve terms of trade. Moreover, this allows producers to improve workers’ living environment and future life in general (De Pelsmacker, Driessen and Rayp, 2005).
Free trade can be defined as the free access to the market by individuals without any restriction or any trade barriers that can obstruct the trade process such as taxes, tariffs and import quotas. Free trade in its own way unites and brings people together. Most individuals love the concept of free trade because it gives them the ability to move freely and interact with the market. The whole idea of free trade is that it lowers the price of goods and services by promoting competition. Domestic producers will no longer be able to rely on government law and other forms of assistance, including quotas, which essentially force citizens to buy from them.
Important companies like Shell, DuPont, BP has been reorganised to generate profits from this green market of goods and services. In this sense, it may sound altruistic, "the sustainability", the logic of profitability and competition is what will determine the ability of companies of the future to meet the changing needs of consumers.
What is the socially optimum level of production keeping in mind the environment? How should it be achieved? It is at this point that the great economic minds of out time begin to take up arms. Michael Porter, a Professor of Business at the Harvard Business School claims that environmental regulation of businesses will actually give the businesses a competitive advantage over their counterparts in nations with less stringent regulation because it forces them to innovate. Porter claims that by changing their production processes, the businesses will actually lower their production costs (Porter, 97).
Fair Trade is considered as an alternative trading system, which aims to protect the economically disadvantaged producers, especially in developing countries. It provides transparency and respect in international trade (Gingrich and King, 2012). Besides, Fair Trade also contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions for marginalised producers and workers and securing their rights (Mohan, 2010).
Free trade is a form of economic policy which allows countries to import and export goods among each other with no government interference. In recent years there has been a general consensus in economist’s stance on free trade. They view free trade as an asset. Free trade allows for an abundance of goods with increased varieties and increased availability. The products become cheaper for consumers and no one company monopolizes an industry. The system of free trade has been highly controversial. While free trade benefits consumers it has the potential to hurt manufacturers and businesses thus creating a debate between supporters of free trade and those with antagonistic positions.
Free trade is a policy that relies on the concept of comparative advantage that when comparing two countries one of those countries will have the capability to make a product that is better than the other country. So it is best if each country focuses its efforts and resources into one product to increase the economic activity for both countries. The determination of who produces a product better is based on the open market without intervention from a government who may try to control a trade by imposing government protective measures such as tariffs. The World Trade Organization has been tasked with monitoring free trade, but it has been noted that their policing has not been effective to stop such interventions. Free trade not only relies on a laissez-faire approach but also on assumptions of conditions. The assumptions used by many for economic theories are not always accurate but rather the justification for using the assumptions is so that economic theories can be applied for the greater good of an economy.