ABSTRACT
This chapter places the subject of this volume, Fairtrade (FT), within the broader conceptual framework of ethical shopping. Fairtrade is one of a number of constitutive elements of a phenomenon which presents consumption as a means for moral improvement. Ethical shopping has established itself as a distinct phenomenon within the realm of global consumerism. Shopping ethically holds out the promise of confronting and perhaps even overcoming some of the harms and inequalities typically associated with more conventional forms of exchange and consumption in the contemporary world. Ethical shopping ostensibly offers a means for bestowing a human face upon global capitalism. These are all recognizable, if not somewhat bold, proclamations emanating from those who support the phenomenon. As such, these claims warrant a closer, critical scrutiny. This chapter aims to provide clear answers to several important questions. What is ethical shopping? On what basis can the phenomenon be genuinely considered to be ‘ethical’? Finally, to what extent can the moral assumptions underlying ethical shopping be substantiated; to what extent can morality be trusted in this regard?
