Fair trade certification has long straddled several contradictions within it. The question of whether fair trade was a movement or a market niche was hotly contested for many years. Is the goal of fair trade to upend trade imbalances rooted in colonization, or grow market share at a better price for small-scale farmers? Yet as the fair trade world has discussed this question, certification has grown into something far more than a market niche. In a new paper, we look at the current state of ethical certification, especially labels making fair trade claims. This paper looks at the latest resear ..read more

An open letter to B Lab Global – link to sign: https://forms.gle/wPZLGg1qVJUa5SKr6 We, the undersigned Certified B Corps have joined together—with the support of certification watchdog, Fair World Project —because we believe the very mission of B Lab and the integrity and relevance of B Corp Certification is at risk. As brands, we are Certified as B Corps because progressive social impact and environmental stewardship are core to our approach to business. We believe that B Lab and the broader community of B Corp Certified brands are an important force in transitioning our economy away from ext ..read more

June 12th marks World Day Against Child Labor. The picture of a child, bent double under a heavy sack. A child wielding a sharp machete, or crawling down into a dirty dangerous mine. These images elicit an immediate response. Yet, despite that immediate, visceral reaction, progress to end child labor has been slow. And that’s because actually addressing child labor requires addressing the underlying factors in our food system that exploit the most vulnerable instead of protecting them. Child Labor in 2022 – a grim reality Last year was declared the International Year for the Elimination of Chi ..read more

Nespresso, a subsidiary of Nestlé, is now a certified B Corporation. Nespresso is perhaps best known for using celebrity spokesman George Clooney to give a high-end cosmopolitan look to their single-serve coffee pods. Or perhaps they’re best known for a recent string of human rights violations on farms that grow their coffee, from child labor to wage theft and abuse of factory workers. Either way, the brand seems a surprising fit for B Corp’s claims to certify “Business as a Force for Good.” This is not the first time that B Corp has been criticized for the gap between their marketing claims a ..read more

Russian Invasion of Ukraine Sparks Questions of a Global Food Shortage All eyes have been on Ukraine as the Russian invasion has caused immense suffering. Behind the headlines of war and troop movements is a conflict that has huge consequences for our food system. Reuters reported1 that the Russian invasion of Ukraine could fuel a global food shortage. Millions of people around the globe depend on Ukraine’s wheat production, and due to the conflict Ukrainian farmers are not able to tend to their crops. This comes on the heels of increasing food prices due to global supply chain challenges conn ..read more

With Easter right around the corner, there are new reports of child labor in cocoa. This time it was documented in the supply chain of one of the very companies who claims to not use child labor: Cadbury. In Channel4’s Dispatches investigation, children in Ghana as young as 10 were documented harvesting cocoa pods and handling sharp machetes. In Ghana, the world’s second largest cocoa producer after neighboring country Cote d’Ivoire, it is illegal for anyone under 18 to engage in hazardous work. And, specifically, it is illegal for children under the age of 13 to work on cocoa farms. Cocoa Mad ..read more

It’s been a year since Fair Trade USA’s “fair trade dairy” label started appearing on tubs of Chobani yogurt. And it’s been over two years since the plan to develop the standard was announced, in early summer 2019. In that time, Fair World Project has repeatedly expressed concerns about the fair trade dairy program, based on over a decade of work as a watchdog of ethical labels. Unfortunately, our warnings about the risks of developing a program without the involvement of farmworker organizers, as well as our specific critiques of the standards are being born out by what we are hearing from fr ..read more

From seasonal candy to chocolate treats to gifts for family and friends, there’s a lot of shopping going on. And, because exploitation is baked into so much of our global economy, there are lots of questions about how to choose ethical holiday gifts – or at least support exploitation as little as possible. As watchdogs of “fair trade” and similar labeling claims, now is the prime season for our work. We’re not going to add another gift guide to the mix. Instead, our offering is a few suggestions on how to read those scorecards and best brands lists. There’s no one single way to make your value ..read more

The Climate Crisis, which sits at the intersection of many social and environmental justice issues, is one of the biggest issues facing the world today. As the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) gears up to start in Glasgow on October 31st, there is still a large gap in the conversations about the role food and agriculture play in the climate crisis. It is calculated that agriculture, forestry and land use account for approximately 24% of greenhouse gas emissions. But this analysis is incomplete, as it focuses primarily on emissions generated on the farm and does not include ongo ..read more

After months of deliberation, the Supreme Court has released a disappointing decision in the case of six survivors who sued Nestlé USA and Cargill over trafficking and child labor in their chocolate supply chains. By an 8:1 majority, the Court held that the suit against Nestlé and Cargill under the Alien Tort Statute could not go forward as the abuses in question occurred overseas. While the decision is a grave disappointment for all of us who advocate for human rights and corporate accountability, it is not the sweeping dismissal that the corporations’ lawyers argued for. Nor is it a ruling t ..read more