In 2005, Fair Trade hit the headlines, as well as the conscience of the nation. The way we shop and the things we buy have never received such media attention, and yet few people are aware that the movement to improve conditions of producers in third-world countries is over forty years old. In this groundbreaking new study, Matthew Anderson provides the first comprehensive history of the main actors involved in the story of Fair Trade - from development NGOs and religious groups to consumer organizations, supermarkets and the individual. He acknowledges the consumer's position at the heart of the Fair Trade movement, and discusses the concepts of consumer responsibility and political liability. This first ever history of Fair Trade is essential reading for all those interested in the consumer's role in ethical trading, and a fascinating insight into how a radical movement was born.
