Monday, February 7, 3:00 pm

Fair Trade, Forest Stewardship, GoodWeave – these are among an ever-growing list of independent certifications aimed at reassuring consumers that the products they are buying were produced in accordance with certain ethical principles. But how effective is certification in achieving social values?

The panel was prompted by Duke Chapel’s current exhibit “Faces of Freedom,” a display of photos of children taken out of child labor by GoodWeave. GoodWeave helps remove children from labor positions, places them in schools, and certifies that carpets from South Asia have been made without child labor. While GoodWeave is to be lauded for its attempt to effect change in the carpet industry, its approach also prompts some questions that extend beyond its particular organization. Some of the questions this panel addressed included:

• To whom are certifiers accountable and whose interests do they represent?
• How does certification compare with other means of securing human rights or environmental sustainability or other desired goals?
• Is the market the best way to achieve social change?

Panelists:
Chris MacDonald
Senior Fellow, Kenan Institute for Ethics
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Saint Mary’s University (Halifax, Canada)

J. Gregory Dees
Professor of the Practice of Social Entrepreneurship and Nonprofit Management
Founding Faculty Director, Center for the Advancement of Social Entepreneurship
Duke University Fuqua School of Business

Tim Büthe
Assistant Professor of Political Science, Duke University

Lou Brown (moderator)
Education and Outreach Associate, Kenan Institute for Ethics, Duke University

This event was cosponsored by Duke Chapel. For more information, contact Lou Brown at 919-660-3042 or ab mb169@duke.edu.