A friend of mine recently leant me a pullout from The Guardian entitled 'A Guide to Ethical Living'. Whilst the guide was extremely interesting (and no doubt the source of many future posts), what intrigued me was the fact that it was produced 'in association with Starbucks.'
Now, I'm no expert on irony.
But I do know that the various ethical people I've had the pleasure to be friends with would not consider Starbucks to be a guru in the field of ethics (rightly or wrongly.)
I do know that Starbucks serves 100% fairtrade coffee (which is excellent) and has various charity initiatives (for example donating 5p for every cup of coffee sold to the Global Fund for World AIDS Day) - which is also excellent.
However, I also know that Starbucks have been heavily criticised for:
- forcing the closure of other coffee shops, both independent and those of rival chains
- having environmentally damaging policies (for example having taps constantly running to ensure utensils are clean)
- having a draconian approach to trademarking (for example, Starbucks refused to let Ethiopia trademark its coffee, which according to Oxfam cost the country £47million per year). Ref - http://tinyurl.com/5hkpae.
According to a survey carried out by The Times in 2008, the ethical record of Starbucks was rated as worse than any other chain apart from McDonalds, KFC and Burger King.
Now I know that a survey is not always accurate, and those surveyed may be basing their answers on perceived reputation rather than fact. But surely Starbucks has no right positioning itself as an ethical preacher in the face of such perception?
Call me cynical, but Starbucks appears to be playing the ethical card for PR purposes, at the expense of genuine ethics and social responsibility. While it is a step in the right directiong that 100% of Starbucks coffee is fairtrade, it doesn't take much of a mental leap to compare the (some would say astronomical) prices of a Starbucks cup of coffee with the amount paid to coffee farmers - fairtrade or not.
What does everyone think about this? Has Starbucks had a moral change of heart? Or is it simply trying to promote an ethical image to appease ethically sensitive customers?
Showing posts with label Shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shopping. Show all posts
Friday, 30 July 2010
Sunday, 18 July 2010
Wake up and smell the (fairtrade) coffee
Ah, coffee.
What would the world be without you?
OK scrap that: what would my world be without coffee? A dark and terrible place, I’m telling you. The working day would probably pass in a sleep-induced haze (either that or I would lose my mind in a fit of withdrawal symptoms).
But what about the world outside my rather limited, caffeine-driven one? How does coffee affect it? You might not think it is very important in the scheme of things.
The fact is that coffee is extremely important – and every time you buy a jar, you are making a decision that could affect millions of vulnerable and marginalised farmers across the world.
How does coffee affect people?
The fact is, traditional coffee trading is deeply unfair.
OK, I know most of us realise this – but how many of us really think about it? Really?
For products that are not fairly traded, there are no standards in place. When you buy such a product, you may be paying for:
- child labour
- sweatshops
- unfair and unstable wages
- exploitation
- damage to the environment
- and a whole lot more.
How many of us want to pay for those things? Not me.
Since 2001, the World Trade Organisation has been holding discussions about how to change the world trade system to benefit the poor. But countries such as mine (the UK), other EU countries and the US (among others) have resisted these changes. This means the growth of the fair trade movement is critical.
So why fair trade?
When you buy a fair trade product, the producer receives not only a fair and stable price, but in many cases a premium to invest in their community. This could go on anything from schools, food, tools, technology, water wells, healthcare and a whole lot more. The fair trade logo also gives a guarantee that social standards are in place, and that coffee production does not adversely affect the environment. It also guarantees producers have not been exploited, and no child labour has been used.
How do you know if a product is fair trade?
Many fair-trade products carry the international Fairtrade Mark, which looks like this:
It is awarded by the Fairtrade Labelling Organisations. Look for it next time you shop. Many fair trade products are the same price, or a little more expensive, than non-fair trade products. Those extra few pennies could make a world of difference.
And trust me – as a coffee fanatic, fair trade coffee tastes every bit as good as the unfairly traded equivalent. Examples of major fair trade brands include:
- Clipper
- Percol
- Cafedirect
- Traidcraft
- Equal Exchange
Most supermarkets stock their own fair-trade coffee, and some supermarkets (for example The Co-Operative and M&S) have the fair-trade logo on their entire stock of own label coffee. Other brands, such as Nescafe, also produce a fair-trade range.
In ’50 Reasons to Buy Fair Trade’ (which you can buy here...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/50-Reasons-Buy-Fair-Trade/dp/074532584X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279536908&sr=8-1 I do not get any commission for a sale)
... Nicaraguan coffee grower Blanca Rosa Molina is quoted as saying that fair-trade ‘makes the difference between whether my family eats or does not eat.’
For the sake of a simple choice in the supermarket, what reason is there not to buy fair trade?
ARE there any reasons not to buy fair trade?
The fair trade system has received criticism from both ends of the spectrum. Some say that it is an artificial system which impedes growth and could lead to over production, and at the other end, others claim it does not go far enough in protecting vulnerable workers.
My thinking is: the fair trade system is not perfect (nothing ever is), but a world without it, would be a world that accepts brutal and unfair conditions. Just so we can have a cup of coffee in the morning.
I don’t want to be part of a world like that. Who would?
Martin Luther King is credited with saying:
‘When we arise in the morning... at the table we drink coffee which is provided for us by a South American, or tea by a Chinese, or cocoa by a West African; before we leave for our jobs we are already beholden to half the world.’
We are beholden to half the world. I truly believe we are forever indebted to the poor of the world; it is the unfair balancing of the trading system which means we in the west can live the luxurious lifestyles we do.
So next time you’re in the supermarket – take a minute to browse the shelves, take a minute to consider where your coffee is coming from, and who you could benefit with your choice.
It could be the most important thing you do all day.
What would the world be without you?
OK scrap that: what would my world be without coffee? A dark and terrible place, I’m telling you. The working day would probably pass in a sleep-induced haze (either that or I would lose my mind in a fit of withdrawal symptoms).
But what about the world outside my rather limited, caffeine-driven one? How does coffee affect it? You might not think it is very important in the scheme of things.
The fact is that coffee is extremely important – and every time you buy a jar, you are making a decision that could affect millions of vulnerable and marginalised farmers across the world.
How does coffee affect people?
The fact is, traditional coffee trading is deeply unfair.
OK, I know most of us realise this – but how many of us really think about it? Really?
For products that are not fairly traded, there are no standards in place. When you buy such a product, you may be paying for:
- child labour
- sweatshops
- unfair and unstable wages
- exploitation
- damage to the environment
- and a whole lot more.
How many of us want to pay for those things? Not me.
Since 2001, the World Trade Organisation has been holding discussions about how to change the world trade system to benefit the poor. But countries such as mine (the UK), other EU countries and the US (among others) have resisted these changes. This means the growth of the fair trade movement is critical.
So why fair trade?
When you buy a fair trade product, the producer receives not only a fair and stable price, but in many cases a premium to invest in their community. This could go on anything from schools, food, tools, technology, water wells, healthcare and a whole lot more. The fair trade logo also gives a guarantee that social standards are in place, and that coffee production does not adversely affect the environment. It also guarantees producers have not been exploited, and no child labour has been used.
How do you know if a product is fair trade?
Many fair-trade products carry the international Fairtrade Mark, which looks like this:
It is awarded by the Fairtrade Labelling Organisations. Look for it next time you shop. Many fair trade products are the same price, or a little more expensive, than non-fair trade products. Those extra few pennies could make a world of difference.
And trust me – as a coffee fanatic, fair trade coffee tastes every bit as good as the unfairly traded equivalent. Examples of major fair trade brands include:
- Clipper
- Percol
- Cafedirect
- Traidcraft
- Equal Exchange
Most supermarkets stock their own fair-trade coffee, and some supermarkets (for example The Co-Operative and M&S) have the fair-trade logo on their entire stock of own label coffee. Other brands, such as Nescafe, also produce a fair-trade range.
In ’50 Reasons to Buy Fair Trade’ (which you can buy here...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/50-Reasons-Buy-Fair-Trade/dp/074532584X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279536908&sr=8-1 I do not get any commission for a sale)
... Nicaraguan coffee grower Blanca Rosa Molina is quoted as saying that fair-trade ‘makes the difference between whether my family eats or does not eat.’
For the sake of a simple choice in the supermarket, what reason is there not to buy fair trade?
ARE there any reasons not to buy fair trade?
The fair trade system has received criticism from both ends of the spectrum. Some say that it is an artificial system which impedes growth and could lead to over production, and at the other end, others claim it does not go far enough in protecting vulnerable workers.
My thinking is: the fair trade system is not perfect (nothing ever is), but a world without it, would be a world that accepts brutal and unfair conditions. Just so we can have a cup of coffee in the morning.
I don’t want to be part of a world like that. Who would?
Martin Luther King is credited with saying:
‘When we arise in the morning... at the table we drink coffee which is provided for us by a South American, or tea by a Chinese, or cocoa by a West African; before we leave for our jobs we are already beholden to half the world.’
We are beholden to half the world. I truly believe we are forever indebted to the poor of the world; it is the unfair balancing of the trading system which means we in the west can live the luxurious lifestyles we do.
So next time you’re in the supermarket – take a minute to browse the shelves, take a minute to consider where your coffee is coming from, and who you could benefit with your choice.
It could be the most important thing you do all day.
Sunday, 11 July 2010
The Big Issue
I’ve been focusing on environmental issues so far (as an environmental student I have to admit to a special interest in environmental topics) but I wanted to branch away for today to another topic I am interested in: homelessness.
It’s an extraordinarily broad and complex subject that I couldn’t possibly scratch the surface of in one post (or even several). So I wanted to take a look specifically at The Big Issue.
For anyone who doesn’t know, the Big Issue is a magazine that is bought by homeless people and sold on the street for a profit.
In my opinion it is one of the best social business initiatives ever embarked upon and helps bridge that gap between homelessness and reintegration into society.
The problem is usually that you can’t get a job without an address, but you can’t get an address without a job. So selling the Big Issue provides that vital mid step of earning an income and gaining self respect. Without it, there would be little to do for homeless people other than beg – and I can’t begin to imagine what a miserable existence that would be.
So what I want to know is: how often do people buy the Big Issue? And if you don’t, do you acknowledge the vendor or hurry on past? (I’m not judging – everyone has to make their own decisions regarding these things.)
Also, if you have bought it, what do you think of the content? The Big Issue has been criticised for being too commercial in content and appearance, but in my opinion, the better the magazine is, the more people will want to buy it – and who can argue with that?
Finally, before I go, if you want to make a donation to the Big Issue Foundation (which helps homeless people find their feet, obtain housing and generally reintegrate into society) you can donate here: http://www.bigissue.com/Support_Us_7.php
Or if you want to do one thing today that helps another person, spend a couple of quid by buying The Big Issue. Not only will it help someone in ways most of us cannot imagine, I promise you it'll give you a warm glow.
Thanks for your time :)
It’s an extraordinarily broad and complex subject that I couldn’t possibly scratch the surface of in one post (or even several). So I wanted to take a look specifically at The Big Issue.
For anyone who doesn’t know, the Big Issue is a magazine that is bought by homeless people and sold on the street for a profit.
In my opinion it is one of the best social business initiatives ever embarked upon and helps bridge that gap between homelessness and reintegration into society.
The problem is usually that you can’t get a job without an address, but you can’t get an address without a job. So selling the Big Issue provides that vital mid step of earning an income and gaining self respect. Without it, there would be little to do for homeless people other than beg – and I can’t begin to imagine what a miserable existence that would be.
So what I want to know is: how often do people buy the Big Issue? And if you don’t, do you acknowledge the vendor or hurry on past? (I’m not judging – everyone has to make their own decisions regarding these things.)
Also, if you have bought it, what do you think of the content? The Big Issue has been criticised for being too commercial in content and appearance, but in my opinion, the better the magazine is, the more people will want to buy it – and who can argue with that?
Finally, before I go, if you want to make a donation to the Big Issue Foundation (which helps homeless people find their feet, obtain housing and generally reintegrate into society) you can donate here: http://www.bigissue.com/Support_Us_7.php
Or if you want to do one thing today that helps another person, spend a couple of quid by buying The Big Issue. Not only will it help someone in ways most of us cannot imagine, I promise you it'll give you a warm glow.
Thanks for your time :)
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