Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
13.2.3.3
Ethics in Other Standards and Certification Systems
This section briefly discusses some of the ethical dimensions of other standards and
certification systems in order to identify their potential as collective frameworks for
consumers committed to their role in the organic agrofood chain.
Corporate Social Responsibility.
The growing use of corporate social responsi-
bility (CSR) has recently become important for many large, corporate organic food
industry players (Pivato et al.
2008
). It seeks to be used in some cases for purely
profit reasons, with little attention to underlying values (Aupperle et al.
1985
; Wind-
sor
2001
; Garriga and Melé
2004
; Banerjee
2008
), thus creating significant contro-
versy among “organic proponents” (Guthman
1998
, p. 143). These third-party cer-
tifications can be seen as an opportunity to strengthen private governance as well as
But large supermarket chains also use CSR as part of their profit-oriented strategy
(Blomqvist and Posner
2004
; Shaw
2006
; Fliess et al.
2007
; Colls and Evans
2008
).
Fair Trade.
Fair Trade certification embodies many principles similar to those
of the IFOAM Principles.
15
Both are based on a holistic concept that refers to
environmental, socio-economic, cultural and agricultural values (Cierpka
2000
).
Both also embody a commitment to social justice (Raynolds
2000
), and concerns
with food security, food sovereignty, as well as help for farmers in the South to
feed their families and to generate income (Gruber and Hauser
2010
). The Fair
Trade ecological requirements are less detailed than those of the IFOAM Norms,
but they provide a comprehensive approach to social, cultural and socio-economic
qualities. The regulations and certification practices, with respect to social and
economic justice issues in Organic and Fair Trade, already reflect a measure of
collaboration between these two movements (EFTA
2001
; Moore
2004
; Sachs et al.
2007
; Nicholls and Opal
2008
).
FLO.
The FLO (Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International) Charta states:
“Fair Trade is, fundamentally, a response to the failure of conventional trade to
deliver sustainable livelihoods and development opportunities to people in the
poorest countries of the world” (FLO
2009
). Groups associated with this alternative
trade approach adhere to clearly identify social-economic ethically legitimized
criteria to guide their practices.
The FLO groups are split into two wings that are roughly comparable to the
bifurcation in the organic movement between the smaller scale and the large,
corporate farms (Constance et al.
2008
). The first is similar to PGS and specifi-
cally related to smallholder farmers.
16
[with respect to] trade
justice, structural change and human solidarity, defined by shared understandings
of fairness, grassroots development and north south partnerships” (Dolan
2010
,
p. 9). The second has a more “instrumentalist focus on certification, standardization
and market expansion, which certifies and markets fair trade products through
It is “idealistic
:::
Search WWH ::
Custom Search