Coffee is often depicted as the poster child for the fair trade movement, which seeks to improve the social and environmental standards of a range of commodities. And the spectrum of stickers on a bag of coffee beans today are symbols for just how complex fair trade efforts have become.
“Fair trade is acting in a marketplace that is largely disconnected, anonymous, sort of faceless and consequently a lot of bad things happen,” said Rodney North, director of marketing and external relations at Fairtrade America, in an interview with Devex.
The fair trade movement sets a floor price for commodities like coffee, then certifiers like Fairtrade International work to ensure that the transactions are benefiting the farmer and the community.
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About the author
Catherine Cheneycatherinecheney
Catherine Cheney is the Senior Editor for Special Coverage at Devex. She leads the editorial vision of Devex’s news events and editorial coverage of key moments on the global development calendar. Catherine joined Devex as a reporter, focusing on technology and innovation in making progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to joining Devex, Catherine earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University, and worked as a web producer for POLITICO, a reporter for World Politics Review, and special projects editor at NationSwell. She has reported domestically and internationally for outlets including The Atlantic and the Washington Post. Catherine also works for the Solutions Journalism Network, a non profit organization that supports journalists and news organizations to report on responses to problems.