<p>Tobacco kills 11,500 of its consumers every day, half of them living in developing countries. But there’s more to the picture, namely the producer perspective which show the consequences of tobacco growing for the small-scale farmer. In this paper I mean to investigate the labour conditions of tobacco growers in the world’s second largest tobacco producing country, Brazil. I also intend to examine the Fair Trade movement, with particular attention to FLO (Fairtrade Labelling Organisation). Finally I try to merge the difficulties of tobacco growing with the institution of Fair Trade, expressed by the FLO standards, as an alternative way out of the tobacco growing problems. The method for this investigation is to examine and compare secondary literature, reports and books, already written on the subject.</p><p>The first issue show a double-side situation, where Brazilian tobacco growers live under extremely crude labour conditions, but also a state where no other agricultural alternatives are available, since tobacco is a highly lucrative and beneficial crop to cultivate, especially for the small-scale farmer. Secondly this paper proposes, thorough the laws of institutional theory, that Fair Trade, especially the FLO standards, constitutes a highly stable and reliable institution, clearly benefiting international trade. Finally this paper concludes that Fairtrade labelled tobacco would not only reduce the problems of tobacco growing, but would also simplify the problematic transformation process, caused by tougher tobacco control policies, from tobacco growing to alternative crop cultivation. In addition, my paper states that Fair Trade as an institution could spread egalitarian principles to other parts of society, which in turn will create formal egalitarian institutions. However, as my interviews with FLO and tobacco companies show, all of this will not become a reality until there is a significant increase in the demand for Fairtrade labelled tobacco products.</p>

Tobacco kills 11,500 of its consumers every day, half of them living in developing countries. But there’s more to the picture, namely the producer perspective which show the consequences of tobacco growing for the small-scale farmer. In this paper I mean to investigate the labour conditions of tobacco growers in the world’s second largest tobacco producing country, Brazil. I also intend to examine the Fair Trade movement, with particular attention to FLO (Fairtrade Labelling Organisation). Finally I try to merge the difficulties of tobacco growing with the institution of Fair Trade, expressed by the FLO standards, as an alternative way out of the tobacco growing problems. The method for this investigation is to examine and compare secondary literature, reports and books, already written on the subject. The first issue show a double-side situation, where Brazilian tobacco growers live under extremely crude labour conditions, but also a state where no other agricultural alternatives are available, since tobacco is a highly lucrative and beneficial crop to cultivate, especially for the small-scale farmer. Secondly this paper proposes, thorough the laws of institutional theory, that Fair Trade, especially the FLO standards, constitutes a highly stable and reliable institution, clearly benefiting international trade. Finally this paper concludes that Fairtrade labelled tobacco would not only reduce the problems of tobacco growing, but would also simplify the problematic transformation process, caused by tougher tobacco control policies, from tobacco growing to alternative crop cultivation. In addition, my paper states that Fair Trade as an institution could spread egalitarian principles to other parts of society, which in turn will create formal egalitarian institutions. However, as my interviews with FLO and tobacco companies show, all of this will not become a reality until there is a significant increase in the demand for Fairtrade labelled tobacco products.

Det blir allt vanligare med etiska och miljömässiga märkningar på livsmedel. Med bryggkaffe som exempel är syftet med uppsatsen att undersöka konsumenters attityd till symbolerna KRAV, Rättvisemärkt, Rainforest Alliance och EU-symbolen för ekologiskt jordbruk. Genom att undersöka attityden kan möjliga förklaringar till det så kallade ”konsumentglappet” urskiljas samt förslag till hur glappet kan minskas. Den teoretiska huvudmodell som använts är ”The ABC-model of attitudes” och som analysunderlag används positionering och valkriterier. Strukturerade kvantitativa intervjuer utfördes på 140 konsumenter. Undersökningen visar att konsumenter har en positivare attityd till KRAV och Rättvisemärkt jämfört med Rainforest Alliance och EU-symbolen för ekologiskt jordbruk och väljer därmed i större utsträckning att köpa produkter med dessa symboler. De främsta förklaringarna till glappet är troligen att etik och miljöhänsyn idag inte är viktiga valkriterier vid köp av livsmedel. Glappet kan kanske minskas om symbolerna marknadsförs och framhålls i butik, om de blir mer trendigt att handla etiskt och miljömärkt samt om konsumenter får en större kunskap om de bakomliggande motiven till dessa typer av certifieringar.

<p>Using coffee as the example, the five certifications; Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, UTZ Certified, EU certification for organic farming and KRAV are explored. A consumer perception survey and a comparative analysis of the certifications true achievements are compared in order to establish how well consumer perceptions reflect certification demands.</p><p>Rainforest Alliance and UTZ Certified largely upholds existing conditions. Fair Trade, KRAV and the EU certification in different ways aims to improve them. KRAV is the most well-known certification, followed by Fair Trade. 85% of the respondents associate KRAV with organic production and 80% of the respondents recognising the Fair Trade logotype associate it with taking strong social responsibility.</p><p>Overall, the results from the consumer survey conform relatively well to the actual standards of the certifications. However some results suggest that Rainforest Alliance holds a higher degree of appreciation than it actually deserves. In a broader perspective this can be associated to the phenomena of Greenwashing; corporative attempts to make a product or service seem more environmentally beneficent than it actually is. This is something that should be taken seriously since it does not contribute to a sustainable development, it might fuel the hollowing out of certificatory initiatives and further complicate for those consumers aiming to shop responsibly.</p> / <p>Med kaffe som exempel utreds de fem certifieringarna; Rainforest Alliance, Rättvisemärkt, UTZ Certified EU:s certifiering för ekologisk produktion och KRAV. Genom en konsumentuppfattningsstudie och en granskning av certifieringarnas faktiska åstadkommanden jämförs sedan resultaten med syfte att fastställa hur väl konsumenters uppfattning speglar certifieringarnas krav.</p><p>Rainforest Alliance och UTZ Certified söker till största del upprätthålla nuvarande situation. Rättvisemärkt, EU:s certifiering samt KRAV söker på olika sätt förbättra den. KRAV är den mest välkända certifieringen följt av Rättvisemärkt. 85 procent respondenterna förknippar KRAV med ekologisk produktion och 80 procent av dem som känner igen Rättvisemärkts logotyp förknippar certifieringen med starkt socialt ansvarstagande.</p><p>På det hela taget är resultaten från konsumentuppfattningsstudien relativt väl överensstämmande med certifieringarnas faktiska åstadkommanden. Dock tyder vissa resultat på att uppfattningen av Rainforest Alliance är mer positiv än vad certifieringen förtjänar. I ett större perspektiv kan detta kopplas till fenomenet Greenwashing; företags försök att få sina produkter eller tjänster att framstå som mer miljövänliga än vad som egentligen är fallet. Det är någonting som bör tas på allvar då det motverkar en hållbar utveckling, riskerar att urholka andra, mer långtgående certifieringsinitiativ och ytterligare försvåra för de konsumenter som försöker handla med omsorg för människor och miljö.</p>

<p>Coffee is a much enjoyed everyday-luxury in many parts of the world. It is not only enjoyed as a stimulant but also for social activities. “Fika” is a Swedish word which is difficult to translate and basically means to-have-coffee-with-friends. Coffee is so loved in Sweden that the average Swede consumes about nine and a half kilogram per year. But coffee often comes with a bitter aftertaste of environmental degradation and social injustice. Pesticide use is one of the environmental problems; some of the most dangerous ones are used in coffee productions. When it comes to social aspects world market prices on coffee has been very low for about two decades. At its worst coffee farmers were paid about a quarter of the production price for their coffee. This has led to a situation of wide spread financial debt, poverty, and sometimes even starvation among farmers. One solution which some farmers take is drug production. Coca is easy to grow and gives high revenue, which may make it appealing to a desperate coffee farmer. Another option can be provided by responsible corporations and concerned consumers –a fair pay.</p><p>The coffee sector in general and Swedish coffee roasting company Löfbergs Lila AB in particular are used as a case study for this thesis focal point which is the correlation between consumer power and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The large social and environmental problems in the coffee sector make it an area where voluntary responsibilities from consumers and businesses can have a very large positive impact. Sales numbers of organically produced and Fairtrade labelled coffee are increasing due to consumer demand. It is clear that consumer power is one of the cornerstones of CSR. When consumers ask for socially and ecologically sustainable goods corporations can produce these goods with an economical gain, thus a win-win situation occurs for corporate profit and the social-/environmental sphere. Both consumer demand and the possibility for corporate profit seams to be prerequisites for CSR.</p><p>It is clear that voluntary approaches to sustainable development such as consumer choice and CSR can lead to many positive changes; however concerns arise when it comes to the fulfilment of sustainable development. The ecological footprint gives us a number for the worlds’ total over consumption and it shows that to fulfil sustainable development as defined in “Our common future”, also known as the Brundtland commission, most western countries would have to reduce their total consumption by approximately 75 %. Consumers are driven by many other factors than social and environmental concerns, and companies and corporations have shown many times that there is much talk in CSR but little is actually done. This leads to the conclusion that although some positive changes occur, voluntary actions such as CSR and consumer power/choice will probably not be enough to lead us to a sustainable development.</p>

Coffee is a much enjoyed everyday-luxury in many parts of the world. It is not only enjoyed as a stimulant but also for social activities. “Fika” is a Swedish word which is difficult to translate and basically means to-have-coffee-with-friends. Coffee is so loved in Sweden that the average Swede consumes about nine and a half kilogram per year. But coffee often comes with a bitter aftertaste of environmental degradation and social injustice. Pesticide use is one of the environmental problems; some of the most dangerous ones are used in coffee productions. When it comes to social aspects world market prices on coffee has been very low for about two decades. At its worst coffee farmers were paid about a quarter of the production price for their coffee. This has led to a situation of wide spread financial debt, poverty, and sometimes even starvation among farmers. One solution which some farmers take is drug production. Coca is easy to grow and gives high revenue, which may make it appealing to a desperate coffee farmer. Another option can be provided by responsible corporations and concerned consumers –a fair pay. The coffee sector in general and Swedish coffee roasting company Löfbergs Lila AB in particular are used as a case study for this thesis focal point which is the correlation between consumer power and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The large social and environmental problems in the coffee sector make it an area where voluntary responsibilities from consumers and businesses can have a very large positive impact. Sales numbers of organically produced and Fairtrade labelled coffee are increasing due to consumer demand. It is clear that consumer power is one of the cornerstones of CSR. When consumers ask for socially and ecologically sustainable goods corporations can produce these goods with an economical gain, thus a win-win situation occurs for corporate profit and the social-/environmental sphere. Both consumer demand and the possibility for corporate profit seams to be prerequisites for CSR. It is clear that voluntary approaches to sustainable development such as consumer choice and CSR can lead to many positive changes; however concerns arise when it comes to the fulfilment of sustainable development. The ecological footprint gives us a number for the worlds’ total over consumption and it shows that to fulfil sustainable development as defined in “Our common future”, also known as the Brundtland commission, most western countries would have to reduce their total consumption by approximately 75 %. Consumers are driven by many other factors than social and environmental concerns, and companies and corporations have shown many times that there is much talk in CSR but little is actually done. This leads to the conclusion that although some positive changes occur, voluntary actions such as CSR and consumer power/choice will probably not be enough to lead us to a sustainable development.

Using coffee as the example, the five certifications; Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, UTZ Certified, EU certification for organic farming and KRAV are explored. A consumer perception survey and a comparative analysis of the certifications true achievements are compared in order to establish how well consumer perceptions reflect certification demands. Rainforest Alliance and UTZ Certified largely upholds existing conditions. Fair Trade, KRAV and the EU certification in different ways aims to improve them. KRAV is the most well-known certification, followed by Fair Trade. 85% of the respondents associate KRAV with organic production and 80% of the respondents recognising the Fair Trade logotype associate it with taking strong social responsibility. Overall, the results from the consumer survey conform relatively well to the actual standards of the certifications. However some results suggest that Rainforest Alliance holds a higher degree of appreciation than it actually deserves. In a broader perspective this can be associated to the phenomena of Greenwashing; corporative attempts to make a product or service seem more environmentally beneficent than it actually is. This is something that should be taken seriously since it does not contribute to a sustainable development, it might fuel the hollowing out of certificatory initiatives and further complicate for those consumers aiming to shop responsibly. / Med kaffe som exempel utreds de fem certifieringarna; Rainforest Alliance, Rättvisemärkt, UTZ Certified EU:s certifiering för ekologisk produktion och KRAV. Genom en konsumentuppfattningsstudie och en granskning av certifieringarnas faktiska åstadkommanden jämförs sedan resultaten med syfte att fastställa hur väl konsumenters uppfattning speglar certifieringarnas krav. Rainforest Alliance och UTZ Certified söker till största del upprätthålla nuvarande situation. Rättvisemärkt, EU:s certifiering samt KRAV söker på olika sätt förbättra den. KRAV är den mest välkända certifieringen följt av Rättvisemärkt. 85 procent respondenterna förknippar KRAV med ekologisk produktion och 80 procent av dem som känner igen Rättvisemärkts logotyp förknippar certifieringen med starkt socialt ansvarstagande. På det hela taget är resultaten från konsumentuppfattningsstudien relativt väl överensstämmande med certifieringarnas faktiska åstadkommanden. Dock tyder vissa resultat på att uppfattningen av Rainforest Alliance är mer positiv än vad certifieringen förtjänar. I ett större perspektiv kan detta kopplas till fenomenet Greenwashing; företags försök att få sina produkter eller tjänster att framstå som mer miljövänliga än vad som egentligen är fallet. Det är någonting som bör tas på allvar då det motverkar en hållbar utveckling, riskerar att urholka andra, mer långtgående certifieringsinitiativ och ytterligare försvåra för de konsumenter som försöker handla med omsorg för människor och miljö.