EVERY PURCHASE MATTERS

From the founder and CEO of Fair Trade USA, a critical account of the past, present and future of conscious capitalismthe change it has wrought in the world and the potential it still has to confront our greatest challenges.

The climate crisis brings into focus a fundamental question: how can we benefit from our planet's resourcesfood, water, air, landwithout destroying them? And without hurting each other? Fair Trade CEO Paul Rice has spent his life and career on these issues, pushing businesses to take responsibility for the way their products are sourced and encouraging consumers to buy those. In a world of labor strife, climate disasters, and unpredictable markets, this book is a reminder of how far we've come already, and makes the case that we don't have to despair. Telling stories of both success and failure, Rice shows how both business and politics can be harnessed to bring people out of poverty and natural systems into balance. He takes on hard questions about financial accountability, the perils of greenwashing, and the struggle to move the world towards a safer, better future, while building an argument that it's still possible. This is a story not merely about sourcing and business, but about the power of ideas and what it takes to make them real. Grounded in the lives of millions of people across the globe, Every Purchase Matters shows readers that the multinational companies often blamed for so many of our social and environmental problems can (and must) become some of the most important actors in creating a more sustainable global economy. Paul Rice is the founder and CEO of Fair Trade USA, the leading certifier of Fair Trade products in North America, and a pioneering figure on the conscious capitalism movement. Since launching the Fair Trade Certified label in 1998, Rice has helped establish Fair Trade as one of the fastest growing segments of the food and apparel industries. Rice has been named Ethical Corporation's 2019 Business Leader of the Year and has been recognized four times as the Social Capitalist of the Year by Fast Company magazine. Rice is also the recipient of the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, the World Economic Forum's Social Entrepreneur of the Year, and the Ashoka Fellowship. He has spoken at the World Economic Forum, Clinton Global Initiative, Skoll World Forum, TEDx, and numerous universities and conferences around the world. Joel Pitney is a ghostwriter, former journalist, and founder and president of Launch My Book, Inc. As a journalist, Pitney has published articles in What Is Enlightenment? magazine and Religion Dispatches, and has ghost-written and published articles for clients on a variety of platforms, including Fast Company, The Huffington Post, and Inc magazine. As the founder and president of Launch My Book, Inc, he has run marketing campaigns for nonfiction books spanning business, self-help, spiritual, and other genres, including multiple New York Times bestsellers.