Trade justice through degrowth? A decentralised and re-localised approach to Fair Trade

Abstract The degrowth movement is increasingly gaining attention around the world as societal inequalities expand and collective concern for our planet deepens. Meanwhile, despite encouraging equity and sustainability, the recent MSI Integrity report suggests that the Fair Trade movement has lost momentum in its quest for trade justice. Can degrowth offer a path to revitalising Fair Trade? This article begins by introducing key degrowth concepts and illustrating their importance in creating a socially and environmentally just world. Next, it presents the Fair Trade movement and raises concerns regarding the paradoxical nature of transnational corporate initiatives that focus on ‘ethical’ certification. Finally, it suggests that Fair Trade should take a degrowth-inspired intersectional justice approach by decentralizing and re-localizing its movement to support the construction of a regenerative economy that scrutinizes multiple sources of marginalization and liberation.