Blog 10: Smart Consumer, Good Company

                As countries developing, consumers are becoming wiser. Consumers usually seek cheap price products, but sometimes they look for kind products. Kind products mean products which make consumers to feel that they contribute to social justice when they buy these products. For catching these smart consumers, company should be wiser and kind too. There is popular way to show their kindness, “Fair Trade”. “Fair Trade” has started in America since 1946. One of NGO in America started Fair Trade by buying sewing products from Puerto Rico. Fair Trade means trade between developed country and developing country with good condition to developing country. It helps that trade becomes fair. And the basic purpose of Fair Trade is coexistence between developed country and developing country.
 

 

                  In the United States, there are countless number of Fair Trade products and companies. One example which is near from us is “Lake Champlain CHOCOLATES”. They got “Fair for Life - Social & Fair Trade Certification” in March, 2013. They said that they started to do Fair Trade because of every people in supply chain; from farmers who grow cocoa, people who move this cocoa, people who produce chocolate, package it. They believed that people in this supply chain should be received the rewards and be treated fairly. First, they seek the best and freshest ingredients from local farmers and producers as a way of Fair Trade. Second, they do not use GMO ingredients, in other words, they use organic ingredients. And they foster long term partnerships and socially responsible trading practices. Also, they respect the labor rights, and they make products and do marketing environmentally.

 

                  Fair Trade does not have long history in Korea. In 2003, one company in Korea started to sell Fair Trade items. This shop is “Beautiful Store”, established by NGO (Non-Governmental Organization). They started Fair Trade by selling handicraft items from Asia, but now, they sell various Fair Trade products from chocolate, coffee to cloth. Now they do not only sell Fair Trade items but also they contribute socially a lot. The missions of Beautiful Store are Sharing, Circulation and Civil participation. Although the history of Fair Trade in Korea is short, people are interested in Fair Trade more and more. And people also become to be interested in companies’ social role. As a result, companies that seek social contribution are increasing, and these companies are getting popular.

                  Returning to Fair Trade, it not only promotes coexistence but also protect sweating system. Especially, a child sweating system in the process of producing chocolate was really serious problem. When people started to be concerned to Fair Trade, then this problem started to be released. The development of consumer behavior brought about the change in the world. For one semester, I was thinking deeply about marketing. Which marketing can bring better result, What is the most important aspects of marketing, etc. Now I get to think about what an ethical company is, and why behaving ethical is important to company. In conclusion, increasing profit is very important to company but being ‘kind’ company is more important. 

Photos from : http://www.lakechamplainchocolates.com/
                    http://www.beautifulstore.org/