To boldly go…exploring ethical spaces to re-politicise ethical consumption and fair trade

This paper examines the modern iterations of ethical consumption which, we argue, are dominated by a highly individualised form, ‘shopping for a better world’, and marginalises the more overtly politicised and collective approach. This dissociative transformation of ethical consumption is illustrated through the case example of the fair-trade movement. We explore two related literatures, geography and politics, to suggest that the (re-)creation of ethical spaces hold great promise for expanding sales, shortening the distance between producer and consumer and reinvigorating the message of reforming and transforming international trade relations. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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