The question posed in this article is whether Fairtrade only acts as an 'ethical offset' for consumers. It is commonly argued that the  consumers' interests for Fairtrade are questionable and variable. I argue that this is partly due to the lack of information for consumers. Fair trade has increasingly become a contested idea with questions of whether it is nothing more than the latest idea.

Fairtrade promises to offer change, increased price for producers and the dignity for producers  through consumers buying a few Fairtrade goods.  Recently documentaries on the 'bad' work conditions of many companies in the world has opened the eyes of many consumers to the exploitation of producers and this has helped increase the popularity of fair trade goods.

To understand whether Fairtrade is nothing but a catchword we need to consider the core of the matter: why do consumers buy goods? » Read more: Fairtrade as 'ethical offsetting' for the consumers?

Is Fairtrade reducing environmental sustainability?

Fairtrade without further consideration may not be environmentally sustainable into the future. Many consumers have become increasingly concerned that Fairtrade is not environmentally sustainable for a number of reasons. Questions have been produced over the carbon travel footprint of the goods, the biodegradable nature of packaging and the internal actions within the companies. Many people feel confused whether to choose local or Fairtrade goods.  There is no simple answer for each decision, as it is necessary to balance values and importance.

A major area of concern is whether the carbon footprint of transported goods (especially heavy craft goods) across the world is greater than the social positives. My experience of the transport of goods is it is not efficient, cost effective or simple with many having to be transported over vast distances. However, many goods are unable to be made in the UK to the same quantity or quality than what is transported in - many goods we buy in as Fairtrade would be similarly transported across the globe, but by buying Fairtrade we are at least supporting the most marginalised producers in the world. » Read more: Is Fairtrade environmentally unsustainable?

In an attempt to demystify Fairtrade, 'fair trade' and various other topics, we have created a series of questions on common themes. We hope to answer any questions you have - if you have any more, please get in contact (through the site by commenting on articles or using the contact form, our Facebook or our Twitter account) and we will endeavour to answer to the best of our abilities!

Can 'fair' and 'trade' coexist?

There have been a number of questions about the relationship between 'fair' and 'trade', and whether it is even possible to have fair trade.

It has also been argued that we need to continue Fairtrade, but challenge more issues to make trade fairer - such as questioning the high numbers of food subsidies in the Global North, which reduce the prices at which UK and European farmers can sell their food. The complicated and unfair structures in organisations such as the World Trade Organisation have made it difficult for Global South producers to negotiate access to the market on an equal footing.

» Read more: Demystifying Fairtrade: answering your questions

I'm sure that you will have read about the problems in Africa with the largest drought in the last fifty years. This type of humanitarian crisis has led to questions over the focus needed for international development organisations and the general public.

The famine has been driven by a number of issues such as climatic stresses, long term national and global political instability and unsustainable livelihoods. The complexities of the causes of humanitarian disasters makes it difficult to decide whether aid is the answer to the problem. There is not one single type of aid: there is multilateral aid (given by many countries such as food aid) and bilateral aid (given by one single government to another). Aid has had a variety of attached conditions such as the 'opening up' of markets in the 1980s. This has often made aid problematic in the long term development of the global south.

There have been three main reactions to the problems in Africa:

First, we could ignore the issues in the Global South and not intervene. This has been attractive as it is the cheapest option for the Global North, and seems to force independence. However, as many people have argued in the current unfair economic system this is not possible. The Global South is financially and legally in a situation that is against them - such as unfair trade rules. It is naive to suggest that the Global North can just be separated from the Global South alone, as it is intrinsically linked into the development of the Global South. Also, it is ethically questionable to allow the development injustice to continue.

» Read more: In times of trouble, should we just focus on aid rather than Fairtrade?