Add Green & Black’s being bought out by Cadbury to that list.

I think it’s great that big brands are releasing Fairtrade labels. However, by buying them consumers are still supporting multinational corporations. I don’t think there are any easy answers – doing something is definitely better than doing nothing.

So I think it’s a step in the right direction, but am firmly on the lookout to avoid companies that are just greenwashing.

I echo Lisa’s comment above. Doing something is better than doing nothing. It is a step in the right direction but we need to be aware of greenwashing. If you look on the green directory that I am part of we have a particularly good article on green washing (you can access the website through my name).

Cadbury core practices should be sustainable as well. The trucks delivering the chocolates and food products are they running on biofuels? Are they using recycled paper in their packaging? Are head office doing their bit in their office practices to help become more sustainable? The list could go on.

These big brands aim is to cater to consumers because if we are not buying their products then how will they make sales? If we demand more stringent green standards as consumers and change our buying habits. However it all comes down to education.

My own personal opinion though!

Interesting. Despite my own misgivings about Big Companies, the great thing is that the Fairtrade message mayjust get to people who ordinarily don’t regard such things as important.

Something to celebrate, at least. Have you read Singer’s Ethics of What We Eat?

Lazy comment, but what Lucy said :)

Yes, I have misgivings, too, but I will try not to be so cynical & instead give Big Business the benefit of the doubt because workers have so much to gain if BB follows Fair Trade standards without compromise: (http://www.wfto.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2&Itemid=14)

Your post motivated me to do some background reading on Ten Thousand Villages. During the past several years I’ve purchased several gifts, home office items and gardening pots from Ten Thousand VIllages, a Fair Trade organization: http://www.tenthousandvillages.ca/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=0

I was already familiar with the fair trade coffee and chocolate but tonight I checked the Web site (thanks to the little nudge from you) & found a small selection of other staple food items including organic sugar, organic cocoa powder and organic red jasmine rice. I don’t mind going out of my way and paying a little more for these items. In fact, I think I’m off to buy some rice this weekend.
http://www.tenthousandvillages.ca/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=M_Foo&template=

Such a challenging topic. It’s not quick or easy to be an ethical consumer.

i think its great that some of the big businesses are getting on board with fair trade – i participated in a letter campaign to cadbury and its nice to see they have taken our request on board! now they just have to extend it to all their chocolate brands :-) Also, I’ve worked on and off for the Body Shop over the last 7 years (pre and post L’Oreal) and I have not noticed our values being diluted at all – if anything over the last 5 years our commitment to community trade and campaigning on local issues (such as violence in the home in NZ) has strengthened. I’m not saying that L’Oreal taking over has been a positive, but my hope is that the Body Shop can effect change throughout the L’Oreal corporation, rather than the other way round…..

If only the big companies were for real in doing a better job. Hopefully every little bit counts, and will expand to a bigger bit.

I think some people are kissing the point of some of these companies going fairtrade. although it can be seen as green washing and could very well be, it is bringing fairtrade to a whole new base of people. People who wouldn’t ordinarily buy anything that is fairtrade. Now if you look at the volumes that are sold an think about how many farmers are being effected by that. It’s huge. So the mor big evil coporartions that become fairtrade the better. The whole poin of fairtrade is that the producer gets a fair deal, not the corparation. If the corparation sales go up because of fairtrade then the producer gets more. What’s wrong with that. Also this article mentioned McDonalds had gone fairtrade. It has gone rainforest allience instead. Although a good certification as far as inviromental issues are concerend, it does not insure the farmer gets fair deal as far as price goes.