Recentring Fair Trade in the movement for a just, inclusive and regenerative economy

Abstract

From the 1970s to the 1990s, Fair Trade was at the front edge of an emerging new paradigm about the purpose of business and the meaning of economic success. The movement for a just, inclusive, and regenerative economy has continued to expand, but today’s young entrepreneurs and activists are more likely to enter through other communities like Buy Local campaigns, racial justice, worker ownership, platform co-operatives, B Corps, social enterprise, regenerative agriculture, zero waste or climate action. Social movements often happen in waves across multiple generations. As Fair Trade commodity certification has become increasingly mainstream, it can be seen as a first wave of the movement. It is a success that deserves to be celebrated, but on its own, it is difficult to sustain. The Fair Trade enterprise community has the potential to engage the next generation of mission-driven entrepreneurs and activists, speed up the next wave of the movement and lock in the success of the first.