Having looked at the various criteria for Fair Trade products (transparency, environment, wages and financial and technical assistance) the natural question is how do we monitor these? As Brady pointed out, one of the biggest failures in the Fair Trade movement occurs when only the initial producer is certified but subsequent steps are not. This is especially possible in products which require several steps, such as banana ripening and coffee roasting, and is one of the main reasons labeling organizations have been hesitant to certify the complex process of clothing production.

One group seeking a solution is the Fair Tracing Project. Their aim is to “support Ethical Trade by implementing IT Tracking and Tracing Technologies in supply chains to provide consumers and producers with enhanced information.” Developed as an extension of the Fair Trade movement, the Project is working towards technology that “enables each individual product to be both given a unique identity and tracked throughout the value chain from producer to consumer.” All information, from the producer's working conditions and pay to packaging to transportation, will be available at the point of sale, eliminating a consumer's need to delve into extensive research before shopping. This information will create not only an opportunity for consumers to purchase products which reflect their personal values, but create a competitive market in which companies are required to parallel their customers beliefs.

In sum, just as Fair Trade works on different levels, so too will Fair Tracing. It will (1) give producers a better overview of the value chain and price structures along it and valuable market information; (2) empower consumers by allowing them to trace the product’s origin and value chain on which they can base their ethical choice when shopping; (3) allow Fair Trade companies to demonstrate how to do business differently/they can prove the technical feasibility of tracing and demonstrate that these devices can be used not just for companies to gather information about consumers, but for consumers to scrutinize companies; (4) be used as an exciting new campaign tool to be used to lobby for a different kind of globalisation; and (5) offer an innovative idea to retail companies interested in improving their ethical sourcing and corporate responsibility guidelines.

There are many different incarnations being developed to offer this information to customers at the point of sale. In Japan they are already using cell phones for food traceability. There is also a cart attachment that offers the customer information on a product while simultaneously giving advertising opportunities for the companies, which would help offset the cost of implementing this technology. The question is raised as to how much information consumers would be willing to sift through while on their typical shopping excursion. A simple solution that conveys ideas quickly would be a rating system, but there is the unfortunate potential for corruption in any such centralized system. Perhaps with the success of such applications as Wikipedia, we could take this to the next level and have a combined effort of third party raters, consumer ratings and producer input to create a system of different ratings that would appeal to customers unique values.

A quick look at a possible template for this tracing offers a quick visual reference that communicates the origin, fair trade & organic components, the money trail and supply chain of the product. The Project is still designing this interface so be sure to jump over and give suggestions. It is on our shoulders as consumers to ensure that companies conduct themselves honestly and faithfully by their proclaimed ideals, and Fair Tracing offers that tool.