Commercio equo e solidale: storie e sfide delle Botteghe del Mondo. Il caso Karibuny

Abstract: This work examines the Fair Trade system, with special focus on the role of the World Shop. The first chapter of this research is dedicated to the theoretical background of the Fair Trade initiative. In this section, the analysis is initially focused on the process of construction and metamorphosis of the concept of sustainability and development at international level; evolution that generates the appearance of a new category of citizen: the critical consumer. The second chapter is focused on the investigation of the World Fair Trade Organizations and the corresponding branches, which operate in macro-areas of the World. In the same chapter, the composition illustrates the Fair Trade supply chain from the position of marginality and vulnerability of producer communities of the global South to the examination of the role of Alternative Trading Organizations -ATOs-. The successive chapter provides a detailed analysis of the final actor of the supply chain labelled Fair Trade, that is the World Shop. This section covers World Shops’ history, diffusion, their socio-economic role and impact on the surrounding area. The reflection is based on my personal work experience at “Karibuny”, which represents the case of study of this research, as it is a World Shop with strong roots in the territory and that trades and cooperates in various projects in Senegal. The work is enriched by the information collected during interview sessions with Karibuny’ staff. Starting from the evidence obtained from the interviews, the final chapter of this composition is dedicated to several considerations emerging from the comparison of reading of valuable previous resources and Karibuny’s experience. The discussion presents strengths and weaknesses of World Shops, the difficulties encountered during the Covid-19 pandemic in Karibuny activity and future turn on events of Italian Fair Trade system.