Ethical trade: a review of developments and issues

Ethical trade is a fast growing area in terms of literature and practice. This article takes an overview of what is happening in the field, including the unpublished debates of many of ethical trade’s key players. The paper identifies the common ground between sectoral approaches, examining work from forestry, fairtrade, agriculture and the apparel industry. It shows the different approaches that are being adopted, and the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches. It also highlights the consequences for developing countries of initiatives that are typically driven by the North, and how existing approaches do not lend themselves to participation by Southern stakeholders.

The paper concludes by arguing the need for greater integration of social and environmental issues, and the development of approaches able to identify and reflect the ethical values of the South, particularly of the marginalised people ethical trade is intended to assist [author]