Digital Commons Network^™

Ethical Product Havens In The Global Diamond Trade: Using The Wayback Machine To Evaluate Ethical Market Outcomes, Trina Hamilton, Seth Cavello

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Who benefits from ethical product markets? While most ethical products (e.g. fair trade and eco-certified products) are intended to benefit marginalized communities and vulnerable ecosystems, the reality is that the geographic preferences exhibited by so-called ethical markets may, in fact, reinforce global inequities rather than remedy them. It can be difficult to evaluate the outcomes of ethical product markets, however, because we are often limited to data from a small number of industries with widely used standards and certifications. This research pilots a new methodology, using an online archive—the Wayback Machine, to evaluate shifts in countries' ethical market share, focusing …