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Fairtrade, certification, and labor: global and local tensions in improving conditions for agricultural workers

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Abstract

A growing number of multi-stakeholder initiatives seek to improve labor and environmental standards through third-party certification. Fairtrade, one of the most popular third-party certifications in the agro-food sector, is currently expanding its operations from its traditional base in commodities like coffee produced by peasant cooperatives to products like flowers produced by hired labor enterprises. My analysis reveals how Fairtrade’s engagement in the hired labor sector is shaped by the tensions between (1) traditional market and industrial conventions, rooted in price competition, bureaucratic efficiency, product standardization and certification and (2) alternative domestic and civic conventions, rooted in trust, personal ties, and concerns for societal wide benefits. At the global level, these tensions shape Fairtrade’s global standard setting as reflected in Fairtrade’s recently revised labor standards. At the local level, these tensions shape the varied impacts of certification on the ground as revealed through a case study of certified flower production in Ecuador.

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Notes

  1. While the term fair trade refers to the overall movement, Fairtrade refers specifically to the certification and labeling system overseen by FLO.

  2. FLO identifies itself as a multi-stakeholder initiative. Non-governmental organizations oversee certification, but production and distribution is handled by private enterprises.

  3. Boltanski and Thévenot (1991; 2006) also discuss conventions based on inspiration and fame.

  4. For a comprehensive assessment of fair trade research see Raynolds and Bennett (forthcoming).

  5. See also Riisgaard and Gibbon (2014).

  6. This discussion draws on a two phased field research project. In 2010–2011 I studied four certified farms, for each farm, I conducted onsite interviews with three to five managers and six to eight worker representatives, female worker focus groups, and an offsite random sample survey of 36 workers. In 2012 I returned to examine the implications of FLO’s new worker’s rights strategy interviewing managers and worker representatives on two farms, meeting with the Ecuador Fair Trade Association, and interviewing regional FLO representatives. I identify the degree of agreement between workers and managers on key issues and triangulate interview data via focus groups, on farm observations, and company documents, but readers should keep in mind that both workers and managers say they benefit from Fairtrade and are likely to present certification in a positive light. For more on certified flower commodity networks and environmental production parameters, see Raynolds (2012b).

  7. FLO’s Red List draws from WHO Class I A & B, Pesticide Action Network’s Dirty Dozen, EU, & US lists; re-entry intervals are based on manufacturer and WHO toxicity rules.

  8. Workers handling agro-chemicals receive additional training on safe use and re-entry rules.

  9. While labor rights training by government officials able and willing to pursue violations would represent a key advance in labor rights, labor inspectors are not always proactive.

  10. The name has been changed to maintain confidentiality.

  11. A legal review confirms the status of FLO Workers’ Committees in Ecuador.

Abbreviations

FLO:

Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International

NGO:

Non-governmental organization

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Acknowledgments

I gratefully acknowledge the National Science Foundation, SBE-Sociology Program (award 0920980) for funding research presented here, and to Erica Schelly for her able research assistance. I owe thanks to Emmanuelle Cheyns, Lone Riisgaard, Anne Tallontire, and Valerie Nelson and all the “Governing Sustainable Agriculture through Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives” workshop participants for their feedback on earlier versions of this paper. I am indebted to the Fairtrade and labor organization representatives and the Fairtrade certified farm managers and workers who helped inform this study. The views presented here are mine alone and should not be attributed to these individuals or organizations.

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  1. Center for Fair and Alternative Trade and Sociology Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA

    Laura T. Raynolds

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Correspondence to Laura T. Raynolds.

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Raynolds, L.T. Fairtrade, certification, and labor: global and local tensions in improving conditions for agricultural workers. Agric Hum Values 31, 499–511 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-014-9506-6

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