U.S. Rebel’s Split Riles $6 Billion World of Ethical Commerce

Fairtrade International brings together retailers and other marketers in wealthy countries with small-scale producers of foods in the developing world. The organization’s goal is to ensure the ethical treatment of workers. Retailers in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere can then sell these products as Fairtrade-labeled.

Small farmers find affluent customers, who reap the satisfaction of knowing their purchases are helping a person, not an enormous, faceless agro-corporation. Last year $6 billion worth of Fairtrade-approved goods were sold globally, up 27 percent from 2009.