The Future of Fair Trade: How Global Systems Shape Ethical Commerce

Elizabeth A. Bennett, PhD — Global Systems, Ethical Commerce & the Future of Fair Trade

We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Elizabeth A. Bennett to Willow Camp for an evening exploring the human stories behind the things we buy — and what it really means to build a fairer, more sustainable global economy.

A leading voice on ethical commerce and labor rights, Dr. Bennett’s work takes her from textile factories and fair-trade farms to policy rooms at the United Nations and Harvard. She’s a Professor of International Affairs at Lewis & Clark College, a Visiting Professor at UC Berkeley, and a Senior Fellow at the University of Basel.

Dr. Bennett is internationally recognized for her expertise on labor exploitation in globalized supply chains and serves on the Academic Advisory Council to the United Nations Forum on Sustainability Standards. Currently, she is working on a book about the ways in which voluntary sustainability certifications and fair trade labels have both supported and challenged living wages, employee ownership, and profit-sharing.

Dr. Bennett’s publications include a book (The Civic Imagination: Making a Difference in American Political Life), co-edited volume (The Handbook of Research on Fair Trade with Laura T. Raynolds), and numerous invited book chapters and refereed journal articles. She is currently working on ethical issues in cannabis (marijuana) supply chains, sustainability certifications, fair trade, workers’ rights, income inequality, globalized supply chains, and textile manufacturing. As an interdisciplinary scholar, her research engages international relations, political economy, public policy, sociology, social movement studies, consumer culture, business management, and sustainable development.

At Willow Camp, she’ll share stories and insights from her forthcoming book on fair trade and global systems, sparking conversation on how conscious consumers and ethical business can truly make a difference.