Every Purchase Matters: How Fair Trade Farmers, Companies, and Consumers Are Changing the World
Paul Rice
Public Affairs (April 2025)

How innovative thinking about ethical sourcing can help maximize shared value’s social impact

In the Introduction to this book, Paul Rice observes: “This book is the untold story of the Fair Trade movement, recounted by the protagonists and stakeholders who are building it. It’s an encyclopedia of insights shared by the business leaders who are pioneering this new chapter in global capitalism. It’s a how-to for practitioners of ethical sourcing in all its versions. It’s a love story between hard-boiled corporate executives and the humble farming families in their supply chains. It’s a road map for consumers who are curious about how they can make a difference. Ultimately, it’s a book of hope.”

I knew nothing about Fair Trade USA when I began to read this book but I was well aware of the conscious capital movement in which Whole Foods founder John Mackey was so prominently and significantly involved. He even wrote a bestseller with Rajendra Sisodia: Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business (2013). Given the current tariff war, I have no idea what impact that international disruption will have on fair trading and the “heroic spirit” that once offered so much promise.

These are among the passages in Chapters 1-6 that are of greatest interest and value to me, also listed to indicate the nature and scope of Rice’s coverage:

o My Capitalist Epiphany (Pages 27-29)
o Breaking the Cycle (38-41)
o Regenerative Business (43-46)
o Betting on Enlightened Self-Interest (49-50)
o More Than Just a Necessary Evil (56-58)

o Reputation Matters (61-65)
o Creating Shared Value (67-69)
o The Power of Organizing (71-74)
o It Feels Good to Do Good (82-87)
o The End of Conscious Consumerism? (96-98)

o Time to Scale (102-107)
o Cooperating Without Cooperatives (115-118)
o Deep or Broad (125-129)
o A Domino Effect (132-136)
o The Future of Sustainable Apparel (145-147)

o Going Deep, Strategically (156-158)
o Protecting the Domestic Workforce (160-162)
o North and South of the Border (167-170)
o Lessons Learned from the Fairtrade Dairy (174-183)
o The Future of Domestic Fair Trade (183-185)

I commend Paul Rice on his brilliant, substantial contributions to thought leadership throughout the global marketplace and highly recommend this material to all C-level executives and those who aspire to become one as well as to middle managers, and to those who are now preparing for a business career or have only recently embarked upon one.

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Here are two suggestions while you are reading Every Purchase Matters: First, highlight key passages. Also,  perhaps in a notebook kept near-at-hand (e.g. Apica Premium C.D. Notebook A5), record your comments, questions, and action steps (preferably with deadlines). Pay special attention to other boxed mini-commentaries (e.g. “Empowering Women,” Page 88), to the paragraph that concludes each of the nine chapters, and to the “Conclusion: Will Capitalism Bend Toward Sustainability.” (Pages 287-296)

These two simple tactics — highlighting and documenting — will expedite frequent reviews of key material later.