Fair trade maybe, but what about the use of palm oil

Bluestocking member, Liza Beinart, originally wrote this letter to Tim Costello, Director of World Vision. I'm posting it here (with her permission) to highlight some of the challenges with fair trade labelling and certification.

Dear Mr Costello,

I read with interest the story in The Age about your meeting with Arnott’s about the use of child labour to produce cocoa in west Africa. Congratulations for advocating for such an important issue.

I wonder if you are aware that Arnott’s products contain palm oil. As I’m sure you know, palm oil is sourced from South-East Asia and palm oil crops have contributed not only to massive deforestation, but also to the loss of natural habitat for orang-utans, one of the world’s most endangered species. Palm oil is used in products such as tim tams and mint slice biscuits.

I raise this because I do not think that the removal of child labour from the production of cocoa for these biscuits necessarily means the products – or Arnotts for that matter – will have earned an ethical certification label that “ensure[s] products met agreed environmental, labour and developmental standards”. Ensuring that “the chocolate in these biscuits has been produced ethically” is not enough to make this an ethical product – Arnott’s would have to address their use of palm oil, the trade of which is causing devastating environmental and ecological damage, and basically wiping out the orang-utan population.

I understand that World Vision’s focus is not ecology but children (I work for a children’s rights organisation myself) – but I think it’s important to avoid stamping “ethically produced” labels on products simply because one aspect of the production is ethical. Ethical production is a multi-layered issue and we run the risk of letting companies off the hook lightly if we applaud them for only addressing one small part of the problem. Likewise, it runs the risk of misleading consumers to believe that they are buying “ethical” products, when in fact they are only buying a product that has responded to one ethical issue. Yes, they should get part credit, but not resounding approval with a label saying “ethically produced”. It’s like calling washing powder “environmentally friendly” because the box it comes in is made from recycled cardboard – even though it might be full of noxious chemicals that pollute our waterways.

I would be interested in your perspective on this.

Kind regards

Liza Beinart
Perth, WA

Fremantle: WA's first Fair Trade city

This Saturday Fremantle became WA's first Fair Trade city. This means that it has "passed resolutions in support of fair trade; implemented procurement of Fairtrade Certified products including coffee and tea; and would work with members of the local community to form a steering group to promote fair trade in their local area through businesses, schools, faith groups and other organisations".

For more on the story, read this article on FreoFocus or this discussion on Fair Trade Australia/NZ.

It's important to note that this didn't just happen: it was the outcome of lobbying from both within and outside the council. If you want a Fair Trade council, or a Fair Trade city, you can make a start by writing to your council members...Fair Trade Fortnight is a great time to encourage local government to make The Big Swap.

Days of Change, Western Australia

Western Australia's Days of Change program was launched this month. The program works by "providing a forum in which people can make public commitments to reduce their footprint, and then supporting them in making the changes to fulfil their commitments."



This is a great way to make a first step in shifting towards a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle. However, I'd encourage you to also think beyond individual actions. As well as pledging to catch public transport or cycle more often, for example, you could also pledge to write a letter to your government representative asking for better cycle paths in your area. Individual action helps, but we also need to work to build better communities and put pressure on government.

Bluestocking's Fair Trade YouTube Channel

Bluestocking now has a Fair Trade YouTube Channel, which you can find here. Some of the videos give overviews of Fair Trade, others are documentaries about producers who have benefitted from Fair Trade, others look at why consumers are making the switch. There are also a few campaign videos - I rather like this one:



It was also great to see that there are quite a few videos about Fair Trade that are made for school and university projects - I've included a few in the playlist.

If you have any recommendations for videos to add to our playlist, or comments to make on the videos we've included, please let us know!

Fair Trade Fortnight

Oxfam's Fair Trade Fortnight 2010 runs from the 1st to the 16th of May. This year, Oxfam is asking you to take part in 'The Big Swap' by swapping as many of the products that you usually buy for Fair Trade products.




This might involve buying products such as tea or coffee from Oxfam or other Fair Trade suppliers (many grocery stores now carry Fair Trade products, too). It also might mean checking whether the clothes you buy are certified under a scheme like Australia's FairWear project.

Even if you're just swapping one of the things you buy for a Fair Trade product, you're helping to support the people who sustain you.

Success for advocates of Fair Trade

In recognition of Fair Trade Fortnight, I’ve added the announcement below from the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand.

Cadbury® Dairy Milk™ milk chocolate is now Fairtrade Certified™ and starting to hit shelves across both Australia and New Zealand.

Cadbury Dairy Milk milk chocolate products becoming Fairtrade Certified™ will increase Fairtrade chocolate sales 20 fold, and double last year’s total sales of Fairtrade Certified™ products in New Zealand and Australia. In Ghana, more than 45,000 Ghanaian farmers will immediately benefit from Cadbury’s global move to Fairtrade Certification for Cadbury Dairy Milk milk chocolate products.

Fairtrade provides farmers with the security of fair and stable prices for their produce and social premiums for investment in economic and local community development. Fairtrade helps these communities through trade not aid.

Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand Executive Director Steve Knapp said from today, lovers of Cadbury Dairy Milk milk chocolate will be able to make their purchase in the knowledge that they are supporting a brighter future for very small scale cocoa farmers, their families and their villages.

“This is a real milestone for Fairtrade and for cocoa growers in Ghana. Cadbury Dairy Milk milk chocolate will create a step-change in awareness of Fairtrade here in New Zealand, while in Ghana it could potentially transform the lives and opportunities for thousands of people in cocoa-growing communities.”

“Cadbury is leading the way, listening to consumers and demonstrating that major chocolate manufacturers can make a real difference by helping to tackle poverty and empowering poor and disadvantaged cocoa farmers. We actively encourage other manufacturers in Australia and New Zealand to follow Cadbury's lead"

Earth Day

Do you think of Earth Day as a time to reflect on personal choices, engage in community action and pressure world leaders to address climate change and environmental degradation? Or has Earth Day been co-opted by corporations wanting to attach their names to feel-good events without changing the status quo? Everywhere you look products are labeled as green and environmentally-friendly. Does this signify any real change or is it just a case of greenwashing, where companies use false claims about a product’s environmental impact in order to sell more stuff?

Greenpeace runs a website devoted to exposing greenwashing with the slogan ‘Clean up your act, not your image’. I share their skepticism of corporate slogans and their new-found interest in jumping on the green bandwagon. However, I also believe that consumers and activists can use corporate commitments and codes to draw attention to how products are made and the impact they have on the environment and the people who make, sell and consume them. So keep an eye out for greenwashers and in the meantime use Earth Day as a time to reflect on your personal choices, engage in community action and pressure world leaders to address climate change and environmental degradation. For more on the history of Earth Day and events, go to the Earth Day 2010 Action Center.

Image courtesy of epSos.de