Nomadic culture and fair trade

Ethics in sustainable cashmere standards

Abstract

The fair trade movement has achieved success in promoting ethical approaches to trade in global commodities, yet it has generally failed to accommodate ethical value conflicts between producers and consumers. Drawing on explorations forming part of my current research on the applied ethics of "sustainable" cashmere commodity chains, I discuss several options for designing fair trade mechanisms that accommodate value pluralism, commenting on examples of ethical conflicts and challenges associated with "nomadic culture" and its safeguarding. Two major strategies considered are (1) the assertion of cultural rights, as part of a deontological ethics, aligned with ideas of "universal cultural value" in the work of UNESCO World Heritage and Intangible Cultural Heritage institutions; and (2) a commitment to inclusive metaethical discourse within fair trade networks, designed to expose and negotiate conflict between incommensurable or incomparable values held by diverse actors within the commodity chain. Whereas the cultural rights-based approach may be more effective in mobilizing consumers and other commodity chain actors, and is compatible with existing fair trade network designs, it offers limited potential to address power difference and value pluralism. Conversely, the discursive approach to fair trade provides limited normative guidance, but offers openings for ethnographically grounded critique that may draw consumers into a meaningful awareness of cross-cultural ethics.