Consump(ac)tion: shopping to create the world we want - Part II
Does a bio label on my steak mean that the cow only ate grass?
How much more do they pay the Columbian coffee grower for fair trade coffee?
Where do I find sneakers and clothes that were not produced in a sweatshop?
Labels are useful to sell products. Companies took advantage of this fact during the last years. The critical consumer is willing to pay a higher price for fair and environment protecting production, but not every fair trade label guarantees a credible social commitment. How can I keep the overview in the jungle of labels?
Experts in certification, quality control, organic production and fair trade inform about the meaning and background of different labels. We get to know which are the minimal demands of the Swiss organic decree to products, in what way the various organic and fair trade-labels differ and how production and certification are regulated in the European Union and other states. They will explain to us how import and export of certified products are governed and who controls them.
The significance of labels that are created by multinational enterprises to certify their own products is particularly lacking in transparency. Where and how can I, as a consumer, get information on the quality of a label? Finally, as consumers, we appraise the labels with our choice of a certified product, that we consider credible and wide reaching enough in its commitment to a subject of concern.
In a second part, we will discuss possible ways of becoming active by demanding a transparent information policy and by sharpening the profiles of the labels:
How can we prevent, that a company labels its products, although it disregards internationally agreed working norms?
Is a profit-orientated company even credible when it certifies its products?
How can we ensure that the multitude of labels does not lead to an erosion of label criteria, thereby reducing labels to an element of marketing strategy?
How can the consumers be informed?
Proposals for invitations:
bio.inspecta
bio.inspecta was established in 1998 in order to set up a neutral, independent and credible auditing and certification procedure for organic products. Today, bio.inspecta inspects and certifies more than 80% of all organic farms across Switzerland and more than a thousand retailers/traders and processors of organic products.
The experts of bio.inspecta maintain an overview of today’s wide variety of labels, standards and regulations and provide competent answers to questions as to which products and processes are inspected and certified according to what standards, and what the cost-benefit relation is. The high degree of proficiency and great number of customers ensure consistent certification for production, trade and processing. This prominent position is a decisive advantage for the credibility of organic products certified by bio.inspecta.
The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture
The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in Frick, Switzerland, employs over 100 experts. It is the world’s leading information and documentation centre for organic agriculture. The close links between different fields of research and the rapid transfer of knowledge from research to advisory work and agricultural practice are FiBL’s strengths. Outside Switzerland the Institute’s competence is also sought after, and FiBL is involved in numerous international projects – not only in research, consultancy and training but also in development cooperation.
Claro fair trade
For 30 years claro fair trade has been dealing with specialities from the southern countries of the world. Their trade partners are underprivileged small producers from peripheral areas of the developing countries in the south, who produce high quality products in a social and ecologically sustainable manner. claro fair trade promotes a variety of items in small scale agricultural sectors and also supports social projects. Wherever possible, trade is carried out directly as long-term relationships and sales take place in personal, manageable organisations. Thus, a relationship of trust is formed between the producers there and the consumers here. This mutual trust is the basis of claro fair trade’s business.
Claro fair trade’s range of goods covers more than 2000 products. The main products are coffee, tea, honey, juices, rice, chocolate and handcrafted products. In Switzerland, claro products are available in 140 claro shops. Claro fair trade also supplies products to over 500 shops around the world.
Claro fair trade is a member of the European Fair Trade Association (EFTA) and the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT). These support the issues of the south with targeted lobbying – the EFTA in the European parliament, among others, whereas IFAT primarily addresses matters relating to the producers.
Clean Clothes Campaign
Equitably produced clothing need not be expensive, say businessmen who follow the law and uphold minimal social standards. Unfortunately the number of entrepreneurs who insist on fair working conditions from their contractors is still relatively small. Most fashion companies still try to cut prices, shorten times of delivery, and invest a lot of money in marketing. These companies stand for social dumping and exploitation. Working conditions in clothing factories will not improve without considerable public pressure and independent oversight.
The «Clean Clothes Campaign – for fairly produced clothing» aims to focus consumer pressure on brand name clothing manufacturers and large distributors. In the first five years of the campaign 15 companies received a total of 70 000 postcards and petitions. This steady trickle of consumer dissatisfaction was not without effect, as we learned in talks with company leaders: social standards have become an important issue among brand name clothing companies. However, more public pressure is needed to turn words into action.