Shenzhen is a fair trade "wasteland" to drink fair coffee in Hong Kong

On March 27, the Fair Trade Weekly jointly organized by the Hong Kong Fair Trade Alliance and Oxfam Hong Kong has just concluded. In Shenzhen, "fair trade" is still a new word. The last time it entered the mainstream of Shenzhen was because the 2010 Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Life Awards hosted by Nandu awarded the Hong Kong Fair Stack the Financial Wisdom Award of the year, commending it for introducing Fairtrade products into Hong Kong, making consumption a good act to protect the rights and interests of farmers and establishing a simple sense of "conscience consumption".

In 2006, there was a movie "Black Gold" in the United States, which was probably the most famous movie about "unfair Coffee". In the film, while people in developed countries enjoy the aroma of coffee and the leisurely life in tasteful street cafes, Ethiopian farmers grow and pick coffee beans in the scorching sun and sweat. They get less than 3 cents for a $3 cup of coffee, and most of their profits are squeezed by large trading companies. The local protagonist, as the manager of the Coffee Farmers' Cooperative Alliance, has been fighting for "Fair Coffee" all his life. You can drink this kind of "fair trade coffee" in some coffee shops in Hong Kong. Of course, you can also buy more than 160 Fairtrade products such as soy milk, snacks, football, handicrafts and so on. As a matter of fact, "Fair Trade" is not a general boast of "antitrust" for granted, but a term that prevails all over the world and has long been introduced into Hong Kong. The "fairness" here does not point to consumers, but to producers in backward areas of developing countries. Its implication is that when we emphasize the rights and interests of consumers, do we pay attention to the rights and interests of producers? Have we ever thought that consumption is not only a right, but also a responsibility? we are "responsible consumers"?

Fair Trade Weekly held in Hong Kong

On March 27, the Fair Trade fortnight jointly organized by the Fair Trade Alliance of Hong Kong and Oxfam Hong Kong just concluded. At the opening ceremony, singer Huang Yaoming appeared to promote the concept of fair trade. The three-day Fair Trade Carnival has set up more than a dozen stalls in Olympian City to sell coffee, chocolate, seasonings, handicrafts and other fair trade products. In addition to shops that already sell Fairtrade coffee, there are also some coffee shops that have launched Fairtrade coffee during the event.

The film "Black Gold" directly points the "root causes of unfair coffee" at Kraft, Nestl é, Procter & Gamble, the four giants of American food companies and Starbucks, which control the trading, import and export of more than 70% of the world's coffee beans. Starbucks reacted immediately after the film was broadcast, publicly promising to give coffee farmers fair bargaining and using all Fairtrade coffee in the UK.

In Hong Kong, the introduction of the concept of fair trade begins with coffee. "Coffee is typical of Fairtrade." Liang Peifeng, chairman of the Hong Kong Fair Trade Alliance and founder of Fair Stack, said, "Coffee is the most traded commodity in world trade except crude oil. It is said that 2 billion cups of coffee are drunk every day in the world. The growing environment of coffee requires that it can only be grown near the equator. in the past 1500 years, coffee has been transported from developing countries to developed countries. under the huge world trading system, farmers cannot bargain with large companies and become completely vulnerable groups. sometimes a pound of coffee beans can be bought for 50 cents, while the cost may cost 80 cents. " When fair traders, including Hong Kong, buy coffee beans for $1.45 a pound, some traders even offer $1.90 to guarantee farmers a profit of no less than 10%. Accordingly, Fairtrade products are likely to be more expensive than ordinary products when they are eventually sold to consumers.

Now the definition of "fair trade" is easy to understand. According to international saying, "Fair Trade" is a trade partnership based on dialogue, transparency and respect, with the goal of making international trade more equitable and creating an environment conducive to sustainable development, while protecting the rights of producers. Improve their livelihoods and development opportunities. Simply put, it is to buy from producers (farmers in developing countries) at a higher price relative to the market price, enabling them to maintain a relatively normal standard of living.

Fair trade outlets in Hong Kong, M & S, MUJI and some supermarkets

Traded products are easily distinguishable: most of their packages are printed with labels that look like colored tai chi, which is the hallmark certified by the International Fair Trade labelling Organization (FLO), the world's largest and most recognized standard-setting and certified Fairtrade label issuer, especially food. Of course, you can also climb the hillside in Central, or push open the open-air balcony on the top floor of the Prince Building, watch the flowers blowing in the sea breeze, and order a cup of Fairtrade coffee.

According to the survey, 75% of Hong Kong people are willing to buy Fairtrade products

"in fact, the concept of fair trade dates back to the 1940s and 1950s. When some non-governmental organizations in developed regions, such as T enT housands V illages in the United States and Oxfam in the United Kingdom, went to poverty alleviation in backward countries, they found that the handicrafts produced by local farmers could only earn very little income, or even could not make ends meet, and most of their profits were exploited by middlemen, so they began to try fair trade." Liang Peifeng said, "at first, some Fairtrade handicraft shops were formed in the United States, and a variety of foods appeared in the late 1980s. Now, as far as I know, there are more than 15000 Fairtrade goods in the world."

Oxfam is one of the first organizations in Hong Kong to contact and promote fair trade. Liang Peifeng herself first came into contact with the concept of fair trade when she went to Australia to discuss matters with representatives of Oxfam Worldwide when she was working at Oxfam Hong Kong in the early 1990s. In 2002, Oxfam launched its first "Fair Trade in Coffee Trade" campaign to try to introduce Fairtrade instant coffee to Hong Kong to convey to the public the message of unfair trade and the concept of fair trade. Wen Ziyan, Oxfam's Fairtrade advocacy officer, said: "at that time, we publicized to the Hong Kong public that a small cup of coffee could help farmers in developing countries get a reasonable return." as a new concept, sales of Fairtrade coffee were good in just a few months. "

However, in Liang Peifeng's memory, the promotion of the initial concept was the most difficult, and it was perfectly normal to spend an hour explaining what Fairtrade meant to consumers in 2002. "at that time, there were several things difficult to understand in the concept of consumers. Some people did not know or admit that there was unfair trade in the world. They did not know that the life of farmers was so difficult. Some people think that Hong Kong is a free trade market. Your promotion of fair trade actually disturbs the market mechanism, while others simply say, since it is fair trade, why not be fairer to consumers and be more expensive than ordinary products. " She said, "We have to explain slowly: the 'fairness' of 'fair trade' first points to producers. In the past few decades, a large number of pesticides, fertilizers and hormones have been used in agricultural production. Why?" Because farmers cannot make a basic living by selling agricultural products, they have to use these methods to increase production in order to make a living, so that they can get a little more income. apart from that, they simply do not have the energy to care about food safety and health or environmental protection. Fair trade is to pay attention to the quality and environmental protection of agricultural products by giving farmers a relatively high purchase price so that they can maintain a stable life. In this respect, if farmers are given a 'fair' price, they will be able to provide 'fair' products. Is this not fair to consumers? "

The ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WT O) was held in Hong Kong in December 2005. taking advantage of this opportunity, the popularization of the concept of fair trade among Hong Kong people has greatly increased, which can be regarded as a major breakthrough. According to the statistics of Oxfam Hong Kong, as of 2010, there were more than 100 Fair Trade outlets in Hong Kong, with more than 160 types of goods, including not only coffee, soy milk, tea, snacks and other foods, but also handicrafts, shoes, bags, football and so on. In addition to Oxfam Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Fair Trade Alliance, organizations such as the International Crossroads Association and the Fair Partnership Organization of university students have also begun to promote the concept of fair trade.

There are more and more Fairtrade fans, and Hong Kong resident A nita is one of them. "I will buy as long as I can use Fairtrade products in my life, but unfortunately, there are not many kinds and shops are not so popular. I have eaten Fairtrade spaghetti abroad and it is very delicious. Perhaps because of the high price, Hong Kong has not introduced it.

"I often compare the organic concept. It has probably been implemented in Hong Kong for more than 20 years, and now it is slowly moving towards the mainstream. It has only been five or six years since fair trade was really promoted in Hong Kong, and the current development situation is relatively satisfactory. A survey conducted by a commercial radio station found that 75% of people are willing to buy Fairtrade products, even if they may have to pay a higher price. Now, fair trade is definitely the general direction of the future, and it may take some time, but I am optimistic. " Liang Peifeng said.

Fair trade is not "charity", but "consumer responsibility".

Liu Yu, a writer of current reviews, said in the book details of Democracy: "the consumption behavior of consumers is not only an economic behavior, but also a political and social behavior. You are an irresponsible consumer when you buy certain products when you know that they come from sweatshops or that their production processes are seriously damaging to the environment, maiming animals, and unethical. In this era of economic globalization, fair trade has increasingly become a balanced market force corresponding to free trade. The fact that many American consumers do not forget to grow coffee is a continuation of this tradition of consumer activism, which uses collective purchasing power to express political opinions and improve social conditions. The United States has a long-standing idealistic political and cultural tradition, and the fair trade movement in which the whole society spontaneously fought for the rights of Latin American farmers and Chinese migrant workers thousands of miles away is a small note of this idealistic tradition. " In fact, this article about the current situation of fair trade in the United States is basically applicable to Hong Kong.

Wen Ziyan, advocacy director of Oxfam Hong Kong, found that through public education, Hong Kong consumers have become more and more receptive to the concept of fair trade. "most people who agree with fair trade actually agree with the core of 'consumer responsibility'. And that's what we've been emphasizing. It is the responsibility of consumers to help producers in poor areas get reasonable returns through the purchase of fair trade products, and to ensure the quality of the products, the harmlessness of the production process and the protection of the environment. Consumer rights and responsibilities have always been one. Apart from the consumer rights of "good goods, affordable prices and better services", consumers also have the responsibility to pay appropriate prices and pay attention to whether producers and the environment are exploited in the production process. "

As Liang Peifeng repeatedly stressed, Fairtrade is not a kind of "charity": "Charity is something you can do if you want, or you don't want to do it." In fact, the money donated by some traders to backward areas is exploited by lowering the purchase price, while fair trade is actually the part that farmers should give and the reasonable return that farmers deserve. This is not a kind of 'help' but a kind of 'fairness'. Remember that it is not that we give more than before, but that we give too little. " A nita, a Hong Kong consumer, also said: "Why do I buy as many Fairtrade products as possible and keep recommending them to my friends?" Because this actually expresses our attitude: we may be responsible for the poverty of farmers in developing countries. Now that you realize this, how can you feel at ease to buy cheap but exploited products? Trying to buy Fairtrade products is one of our remedies. " In other words, Fairtrade is not about doing good deeds, but about doing your part.

Why didn't Shenzhen introduce the concept of fair trade?

Compared with Hong Kong, mainland China is not all a fair trade wasteland. Daguishan Organic Tea Farmers Association in Wuyuan, Jiangxi Province is the first producer in China to be certified by the International Fair Trade Organization (FLO). Liang Peifeng's Fair Stack has also bought tea here. In Shanghai, the Lechuangyi Fair Trade Development Center has been established, which is the first officially registered public welfare organization in China to "promote fair trade". It has been quite active in the past two years. Liu Qiongxiong, editorial director of City Illustrated, one of the sponsors of Le Chuangyi, said that the N G O organization, which developed from the creative bazaar, not only set up certified Fairtrade outlets in several cities across the country, including Guangzhou, but also monitored the production of "relatively fair" products, "although we are not yet an internationally certified organization." Some products are not internationally certified products, but I believe that we will help to promote fairness among different regions in the country, and will also help to enhance consumers' awareness of fair trade and responsibility. "

It is a pity that Shenzhen is precisely one of the "wastelands" of fair trade at present. You cannot find a point of sale of Fairtrade products, and even MUJI, who sells Fairtrade products in Hong Kong, was quietly cancelled after he was stationed in Shenzhen. Starbucks, which claims to use Fairtrade coffee all over the UK, its Greater China Public Relations Manager in Shanghai replied: "Starbucks is the largest buyer of certified Fairtrade coffee in the world. But domestic stores, such as Shenzhen, although they use Fairtrade coffee, they are mixed with other coffee, which means you can't buy certified Fairtrade coffee. We have several Fairtrade whole bean coffees, which are sold only in the United States. " She claims that Starbucks has another set of "ethical procurement" standards, which are similar in theme to Fairtrade.

Why Shenzhen is so close to Hong Kong and has such frequent exchanges, but has not introduced the concept of fair trade so far? Luo Lei, an expert on pioneer urban operations in Shenzhen, who has always been very concerned about Fairtrade, analyzed: "Fairtrade has only sprung up in recent years. Hong Kong is a society with relatively full business development and relatively mature civic awareness, so it is also relatively normal to pay attention to or advocate this concept a little earlier than we do. Shenzhen is a city that has just been built for 30 years, people's attention is still more focused on the economic development of G D P, enterprises and society, and there is still a certain distance between Hong Kong and Hong Kong in terms of civic awareness of social fairness. Some people ask why there are fair trade organizations in Shanghai, but not in Shenzhen. This is why different urban elites pay different attention to these issues, which must be advocated by urban elites, and our urban elites are not concerned about these aspects. Interests are not the first demand in fair trade, and there is a problem of ideological change in advocating fairness as the leading factor and giving consideration to the profits of enterprises. "

Tao Jie, a cultural scholar and Hong Kong's "first genius", believes that the development of fair trade in Hong Kong has an economic background of worsening disparity between the rich and the poor, as well as a legal background of a healthy legal system and a neutral judiciary. "in addition, this problem is related to the problems of agriculture, rural areas and farmers. if we do not buy agricultural products at higher prices, farmers' income will be very low, resulting in a widening gap between the rich and the poor, but this has a side effect on cities is inflation. The most obvious example is that when the prices of agricultural products are higher, hotel prices will also rise, which in turn will affect the interests of the middle class in the cities. It may be because of this factor that it is relatively difficult to implement fair trade in Shenzhen. "

In the same article, Liu Yu wrote: "idealism (using collective purchasing power to express political opinions and improve social conditions) really needs a certain political and social foundation, such as the highly developed N G O, such as a certain level of economic development." Liu Qiongxiong believes that one of the main reasons why there is no fair trade in Shenzhen at present is the lack of NGO organizations that promote this concept. "Fair trade belongs to a new field, and Shenzhen is not very normal. You know, this is' trade', there is a certain economic return, but it is not a big business, you have to do it in the direction of 'public welfare'. "

"there is no need to be too pessimistic. The distance between Shenzhen and Hong Kong is so close and the exchanges are so frequent, it will always come over." Luo Lei said, "I think Shenzhen is relatively good in all aspects of urban development, and there is no need to cling to the relative lag of a certain field." Within a few years, someone in Shenzhen will definitely try. I don't know whether it will succeed or not, but it is definitely a good thing. "

Product: Nandu Shenzhen Magazine Department

Executive producer: Xia Yitao Chief planner: South Island Co-ordinator: Ma Ling

Collected and written: southern Capital reporter du Hong Wang Xiangming Photography: southern Capital reporter Hu Ke LOGO Design: Zhang Dali

China Coffee Trading Network: www.gafei.com