Module 4 : Fair Trade as an economic alternative
This module will explore the place of fair trade within the constellation of economic alternatives. These alternatives include economic expressions of alter-globalization, the cooperative movement, the social and solidarity economy, sustainability transition as well as a number of other sector-related initiatives (finance, energy, etc.). The module will then explore the role of fair trade organizations as alternative economic actors and examine the collaborations between fair trade organizations and alternative economic actors in other sectors. The evaluation will be based on a written report examining a particular dimension of fair trade (product, supply chain, organization, country,…) in the light of the approaches introduced in the course.
Lesson 1 – Fair trade, social movements and alter-globalization (3 hours)
The objective is to give information about the history of fair trade and its connections with social/environmental movements as well as with alter-globalization trends.
Material: videos, readings
Lesson 2 – Fair trade, the cooperative movement and the social economy (3 hours)
The objective is to give information about the cooperative movement and the social economy in order to show the connections between fair trade and those economic alternatives.
Material: live session (November 10th, 2.00 pm CET time), videos, readings
Lesson 3 – Fair trade, social innovation and social enterprise (3 hours)
The objective is to give an overview of the concepts of social enterprise and social innovation and to show the role and contributions of fair trade to those initiatives.
Material: readings
Lesson 4 – Fair trade and other economic alternatives (3 hours)
Material: readings
Lesson 5 – Fair trade, mainstreaming and corporate participation (3 hours)
The objective is to open the discussion about the rationale and challenges of mainstreaming and the current debates.
Material: readings
At the end of this training module, the participant should be able to:
- be familier with different types of economic alternatives
- locate the place of fair trade within the constellation of economic alternatives
- understand and promote the role of fair trade organizations as alternative economic actors
- understand and promote the collaborations between fair trade organizations and alternative economic actors in other sectors (social finance, renewable energy, sustainable food, etc.)
The evaluation will be based on the answers to the questions at the end of each lesson and on a max 3 pages written report explaining how a particular fair trade initiative (product, supply chain, organization, network,…) can be related to those alternative economic movements and positioned in the landscape of economic alternatives.