Partnering for sustainability: Business–NGO alliances in the coffee industry

Author: Linton, April

Source: Development in Practice, Volume 15, Numbers 3-4, June 2005 , pp. 600-614(15)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

The movement to promote coffee produced in a sustainable way is one of many efforts aimed at linking social responsibility and market capitalism. In the wake of a worldwide coffee crisis in which prices have fallen to levels that do not support small-scale production or provide living wages for plantation workers, non-profit certifying and labelling organisations are working to develop a market that is sustainable for workers and the environment. They seek to influence cultural and political values in such a way that consumers and corporations in the North will have to respond to them by incorporating the welfare of Southern workers and ecosystems into their purchasing decisions. This paper discusses and evaluates current strategies to link producers and consumers within this movement, all of which involve a great deal of education. It argues that partnerships between businesses and NGOs are essential for broadening the corporate base of the market for fairly traded coffee and promoting norm change among consumers, and discusses the challenges and opportunities that such partnerships create.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09614520500075664

Affiliations: 1: Department of Sociology, University of California, 401 Social Science Building, 9500 Gilman Drive—0533, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0533, USA

Publication date: 2005-06-01

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