For all the progress that’s been made, there remains a “huge discrepancy” between the supposed willingness of consumers to support sustainable products, and their actual buying habits. Until that gap is closed, items carrying the fair trade label will remain a “niche market,” according to Andréanne Grimard, director of economic development with Solidaridad North America. In this episode, she traces the work of Solidaridad in promoting a remarkable range of products, including coffee, tea, cotton, palm oil, soy, gold, cocoa, textiles, fruits and vegetables. She relates how Solidaridad formed its own importing companies for fair-trade bananas and bluejeans, when it couldn’t find private interests to undertake the task –creating profitable ventures in the process. And she offers a candid assessment of the current state of public awareness of the sustainability issue. The verdict: there’s a lot of work to be done. Hosted by Bob Bowman, Managing Editor of SupplyChainBrain.

Look for the next episode of the podcast, which can be downloaded or streamed, every Friday on the SupplyChainBrain website.

Show notes:

Solidaridad’s annual report for 2013.

This episode is sponsored by Ryder Supply Chain Solutions.

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