Fairtrade products originate in developing countries and are traded and sold in developed countries in the North. Given that products travel some distance to arrive to their final destination, questions are raised on the environmental impact of selling Fairtrade products.
The distance travelled by food from one location to another, taking into account its environmental impact, is commonly referred to as ‘Food Miles’. This negative impact is often represented by the carbon emissions generated due to transport. Campaigns have been put in place by different groups in favour of buying local products at the expense of imported products (including Fairtrade), given their food miles. These campaigns do not, however, take into account the environmental impact generated at the production and consumption stages (entire life cycle assessment); it is important to note that most products that originate in the South generate low level of emissions in comparison to producing the same products in the North. Product consumption and disposal also have an environmental impact that must be taken into account – product consumption habits in the North might be highly energy inefficient and disposal methods highly detrimental. The food miles concept
also neglects the development impacts generated by purchasing and supporting Fairtrade products coming from the South – a great number of producers and their communities highly depend on Fairtrade products, to ensure their sustainable livelihoods. There is also a social justice element that needs to be taken into account – producers from developing countries have been encouraged to focus on products (including Fairtrade) to suit northern consumption and now this particular demand can be put at risk, given new market requirements.
To support the policy and advocacy work carried out by Fairtrade, SPU aims to develop a position paper on Food Miles and Fairtrade.
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