October marks both Fair Trade Month and National Co-op Month – a fitting moment to examine how global trade policies are reshaping the landscape for ethical businesses.

In this episode of Art of Citizenry Podcast, host Manpreet Kaur Kalra is joined by Nicole Vitello, Vice President at Equal Exchange, a worker-owned co-operative with the mission to build long-term fair trade partnerships that are economically just and environmentally sound. Together, they unpack how tariffs, trade wars, volatile commodity markets, and climate pressures are colliding to threaten the survival of ethical supply chains.

From a 39% tariff on Switzerland to 50% tariffs on Brazil and India, industries ranging from chocolate and coffee to fashion are under immense strain. For fair trade, ethical businesses and co-ops, it’s not just about surviving the current administration’s tariff strategy – it’s about whether ethical supply chains can survive in a system tilted toward multinationals and shareholder profits. While these taxes are marketed as efforts to “bring manufacturing home,” the real impact lands on those least able to absorb the cost – smallholder farmers, small businesses here domestically, and ultimately consumers.

We explore:

• How the trade wars, increases in tariffs, and high commodity prices are destabilizing ethical, sustainable, and fair trade supply chains – causing cost and pricing spikes from farmers to consumers
• Why ethical businesses and co-ops are uniquely vulnerable under protectionist trade policies
• How climate change, tariffs, and inflation are compounding global price volatility and putting financial pressure on farmer coops
• The impacts of USAID cuts on economic development programs 
• Why cooperative business models and consumer solidarity may be the last line of defense against exploitative trade

🎧 Ethical supply chains that center fairness and sustainability remain the exception, not the rule. Tune in as we examine the human cost of tariffs and the structural inequities baked into modern capitalism and global trade systems.

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