Consumers in the developed world want to use their purchasing power to help people in poor countries to lift themselves out of poverty, and the market for ethically traded products is growing fast. This study reviews a number of the existing ethical standards and labels in terms of their objectives, the scale and scope of their coverage, their impact on participating farmers, compliance costs and broader development impacts. We conclude that the time is ripe for a new kind of initiative and some new thinking in this area.
Karen Ellis and Jodie Keane