Finnish World Shops at a crossroads in the commercialized fair trade market

The popularity of fair trade is growing swiftly in many parts of the world. As the fair trade market has grown, new kinds of participant have emerged and the field has become increasingly commercialized. However, there are also tensions between the different groups as to whether commercialization and mainstreaming benefit the ultimate aims of the movement. This paper presents a qualitative study of how the Finnish World Shop movement's key actors understand the movement's role and position in the developing fair trade market. The study discusses the polyphonic nature of this democratic social movement at the crossroads of continuing as a traditional solidarity movement or transforming into a more commercial organization. Furthermore, the findings highlight the implications these choices may have for sustainability in the World Shops' supply chain. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.