Fair trade, from purchase intention to action, what solutions? The case of Alter Eco

Extract

[...] This development also requires considering the issues of marketing, digital communication and communication of influence and/or crisis. This evolution comes from three phenomena: - The democratization of the concept of fair trade and the desire of major brands to have a virtuous image so as not to lose market share or suffer massive rejection by consumers. They are called upon to buy the Faire-Trade or Max Havelaar logo to benefit from a "virtuous" image. - The transition to a digital society in which everything is done online and where environments are unstable and can become hostile. [...]

[...] The pursuit of the greatest profit leads to a reduction in costs to the detriment of producers. The difficulties of fair trade arise from the fact that it is not necessary to optimize the profit of only one part of the transaction in a chain that goes from the producer of the raw material to the final consumer. It is necessary to ensure an equitable and legitimate distribution of wealth produced while guaranteeing the economic progress of the producers and the territories in which they live. [...]

[...] On the other hand, consumers are increasingly concerned about the climatic consequences of their behavior and are ready to change them. The flygskam phenomenon that appeared in Sweden directly addresses the existence of the air transport sector. The mobilization against the American chemist Monsanto is another and promotes the emergence of organic products, which are more in demand. Spectacular events, such as the collapse of the Rena Plaza that left 1,127 people dead who produced clothes (via subcontractors) for brands well known to consumers, have left their mark. [...]

[...] The brand's activity has enabled it to achieve extremely significant growth in its turnover, which rose from 10 million euros in 2005 to 7.34 billion euros in 2017. This spectacular growth is explained, in particular, by its presence in Large and Medium Surfaces with more than 7000 article references. [...]

[...] The act of purchase is converted into militant action initiated by values such as solidarity. The results of such a policy on supplier communities are indicated on its website under the Alterecometer section. Each product corresponds to a community of producer partners of the brand. A real product a real fairness Actors specializing in Fair-Trade are committed to vocational training and skills development for their partners. An example can be found at Alter Eco, which provides information on its website about its collaborations with the Togolese Consumption Cooperatives ProCab that specializes in organic, or the gathering of UNOCACE coffee producers in Ecuador. [...]