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Fairness and Ethicality in Their Place: The Regional Dynamics of Fair Trade and Ethical Sourcing Agendas in the Plantation Districts of South India

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  • Jeff Neilsno
  • Bill Pritchard

Abstract

In this paper we argue for a ‘horizontal’ approach to the analysis of fair and ethical trade, one which asks questions about the wider eddies they create within regional production contexts. This approach runs counter to much of the existing literature on the topic, which typically examines initiatives ‘vertically’, in terms of how they affect the lives of participating producers and communities. Applying this method to critique fair and ethical trade in the tea and coffee plantation districts of South India, we find that, at present, initiatives fail to intersect with the most pressing problems of poverty and development within this regional production system. Somewhat ironically, these schemes seem to be having their greatest positive effects within industry segments that are not the most needful of support, and tend to have very limited engagement with those industry participants in direst straits (notably, smallholders and workers on abandoned estates). Consideration of these issues highlights how the uneven penetration of fair and ethical trade is contributing to transformations in the institutional formations and systems of governance. Producers oriented to servicing affluent Western markets are increasingly enmeshed within fair and ethical trade agendas and interact with dense ensembles of suprastate and civil society regulation (involving international nongovernmental organisations and audit firms). Yet, more marginalised producers remain regulated by traditional institutional mechanisms embedded within the nation-state (government departments, trade unions, etc). These assessments point to the limitations and challenges facing fair and ethical trade as a strategic intervention for addressing the social, economic, and environmental injustices of global agriculture.

Suggested Citation

  • Jeff Neilsno & Bill Pritchard, 2010. "Fairness and Ethicality in Their Place: The Regional Dynamics of Fair Trade and Ethical Sourcing Agendas in the Plantation Districts of South India," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 42(8), pages 1833-1851, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:42:y:2010:i:8:p:1833-1851
    DOI: 10.1068/a4260
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tad Mutersbaugh, 2005. "Fighting Standards with Standards: Harmonization, Rents, and Social Accountability in Certified Agrofood Networks," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 37(11), pages 2033-2051, November.
    2. Jeffrey Neilson & Bill Pritchard, 2007. "Green Coffee? The Contradictions of Global Sustainability Initiatives from an Indian Perspective," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 25(3), pages 311-331, May.
    3. Judy Brown & Michael Fraser, 2006. "Approaches and perspectives in social and environmental accounting: an overview of the conceptual landscape," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(2), pages 103-117, March.
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    2. Hilson, Gavin & Hilson, Abigail & McQuilken, James, 2016. "Ethical minerals: Fairer trade for whom?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 232-247.
    3. Enrico Fontana & Niklas Egels-Zandén, 2019. "Non Sibi, Sed Omnibus: Influence of Supplier Collective Behaviour on Corporate Social Responsibility in the Bangladeshi Apparel Supply Chain," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 159(4), pages 1047-1064, November.

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