Ethical Marketing
Introduction
It is well acknowledged that fair trade works to re-embed commodity chains in a framework of social and ecological responsibility. By having a business model that embodies the principles of fair trade, Cafedirect coffee presents an alternative to the prevailing model of international trade and agricultural production (Raynolds, 2009), and the success of Cafedirect has made a significant contribution to the mainstreaming of fair trade in the UK (Nicholls and Opal, 2005). Critically, this essay will examine how cafedirect incorporate social, ecological and long-term relationships into its marketing approach as well as identify the limits and challenges of its expansion might have, and finally, provide some effective recommendations on its future ethical and sustainability marketing.
The Success of Cafedict’s Sustainability Marketing Approach
Firstly, the founding of cafedirect is the representative of social justice issues of international agricultural production. In response to the coffee crisis in 1989, cafedirect built the long-term relationships and supply contracts with coffee producers who were small family-owned farms (Davies, et al., 2010). This company paid a fair trade minimum price as well as an additional social premium to producers in order to get the economic justice in terms of distribution of value to farmers, which is in line with the traditional ethical theory of rights and justice. The fair trade minimum price aims to cover the cost of sustainable production and living. Its ‘Gold Standard’ allowed producers to invest in community infrastructure projects such as digging water wells (Barratt Brown, 2007). Particularly, the early years marketing communication approach of cafedirect fully reflected its social and sustainable marketing objectives. For example, its advertising and packaging focused on presenting photographs of coffee producers and the intensive labour of growing coffee. As Raynolds suggested that rather than build
It is well acknowledged that fair trade works to re-embed commodity chains in a framework of social and ecological responsibility. By having a business model that embodies the principles of fair trade, Cafedirect coffee presents an alternative to the prevailing model of international trade and agricultural production (Raynolds, 2009), and the success of Cafedirect has made a significant contribution to the mainstreaming of fair trade in the UK (Nicholls and Opal, 2005). Critically, this essay will examine how cafedirect incorporate social, ecological and long-term relationships into its marketing approach as well as identify the limits and challenges of its expansion might have, and finally, provide some effective recommendations on its future ethical and sustainability marketing.
The Success of Cafedict’s Sustainability Marketing Approach
Firstly, the founding of cafedirect is the representative of social justice issues of international agricultural production. In response to the coffee crisis in 1989, cafedirect built the long-term relationships and supply contracts with coffee producers who were small family-owned farms (Davies, et al., 2010). This company paid a fair trade minimum price as well as an additional social premium to producers in order to get the economic justice in terms of distribution of value to farmers, which is in line with the traditional ethical theory of rights and justice. The fair trade minimum price aims to cover the cost of sustainable production and living. Its ‘Gold Standard’ allowed producers to invest in community infrastructure projects such as digging water wells (Barratt Brown, 2007). Particularly, the early years marketing communication approach of cafedirect fully reflected its social and sustainable marketing objectives. For example, its advertising and packaging focused on presenting photographs of coffee producers and the intensive labour of growing coffee. As Raynolds suggested that rather than build
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