Websters defines slavery as "submission to a dominating influence", while wikipedia defines "supply chain" as "the system of organizations, people, technology, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer". Wikipedia goes on to comment "many of the exchanges encountered in the supply chain will be between different companies that will seek to maximize their revenue within their sphere of interest, but may have little or no knowledge or interest in the remaining players in the supply chain".So, to paraphrase, supply chain slavery is the dominance and submission of the end consumer to whatever and however the players in the supply chain choose to deliver their products. In our culture, this circumstance is characterized by mega companies, mostly concerned with their bottom line, and little concerned with the effects (both unintended or ignored) of their actions. To the end consumer, this manifests itself as no choice, limited choice, or illusory choices with no actual variation in the actual supply chain. Or.... something else.
"Something else" in this case is the emerging interest in sustainable models for agriculture as well as culturally sustainable models. In the coffee business it is an appreciation for the way that a crop is grown. Was the crop produced using eco-friendly organic models that factor in the health of the bio-system, or were short term profit goals realized by slash and burn farming and chemicals which promise short term yields but put nothing back into the soil? It is an appreciation of the labors of the growers and the social structures that they maintain. Were the growers and pickers able to make a living wage, to participate in the decision making process and experience the dignity that comes from a participative process? Or are they themselves kept in their own form of slavery to the middle men in a market that gives little choice but to sell at a rapacious price that guarantees a future of company dominance for the worker and their families?
Ending supply chain slavery is not always easy. Think about buying hamburger, buying chicken, or rice, or bread. Each of these, like coffee, has a well-entrenched mega supply chain. But also, a much smaller competing supply chain exists in each of these examples. The recent development of organizations such as USDA Organic and Fair Trade certifying organizations are helping to bring knowledge and transparency to supply practices that, even today, can be largely opaque to the end consumer. With these certifications come a more informed choice. Your informed choice is the most important part of the process.
Bottom line? Be informed, look for the certifications and understand that "marketing" in many of it’s forms is there to obscure, not enhance just where our products come from, and how they were made. Support your smaller local producers who are part of a supply chain that helps to create the kind of (sustainable) world where life and eco-systems are improved along with the delivery of our daily bread (or coffee!).
John
