There is a firm of coffee vendors that is advertising its product on the telly at the moment by telling how kind it is to the coffee growing communities. I never believe this sort of propaganda. I'm assuming the fair trade movement is making inroads into its profits.
Anyway this particular outfit is boasting of its collaboration with the Rain Forest Alliance, lovely name. So off to the world wide web to learn about the Jolly Green alliance; OH, OH, OH! it's a greenwash scam. It's one of those PR outfits paid to shout louder than the objectors and drown out their protests. There's another bunch called Conservation Internamtional that whores for some of the most evil organisations on the planet; Monsanto, McDo...., Exxon Mobil. It must be cheaper to throw money at these professional liars and tricksters than to ease up on the destruction of the planet.
I don't believe the stuff that these thimble-riggers spew out, but I have to admit as well to a degree of scepticism about the whole fair trade business. Just as protest movements are always riddled with police spies and provocateurs, so I expect any organisation that threatens unbridled profit-making to be subject to subversion and manipulation.
What little faith I had in the fair trade movement was quickly dissipated when I picked up a leaflet listing fair trade outlets in my area. On that list was one multinational corporation that cheats and mistreats its employees, cheats its suppliers and lies to its customers. In addition I'm told its product is crap. It was, at the time (maybe still is), behind the eviction of indigenous people from a fertile coffee producing area in Mexico. And, surprise, surprise! It funds Conservation International. I hate to advertise - let's just say it's a coffee peddling outfit called Ahab's, or something like that.