GDI鈥檚 Professor Stephanie Barrientos Joins Fair Trade Foundation鈥檚 Board of Trustees
Global Development Institute Emeritus has been elected as a member of the .
Stephanie鈥檚 appointment follows 25 years鈥� worth of research experience in corporate social responsibility, trade and labour standards, gender, and fair and ethical trade in global value chains.
Stephanie gained recognition for her involvement in exploring the social and economic sustainability of Cadbury鈥檚 cocoa supply chain. The project covered Ghana, the Dominican Republic and India.
The team鈥檚 findings showed that poverty, gender inequality, and poor social provisions for cocoa farmers and workers were contributing to low productivity and threatened the sustainability of future production.
In response to the findings, Cadbury instigated major supply chain changes and obtained Fairtrade certification for key chocolate lines. Mondeleze subsequently launched the Cocoa Life programme, dedicating over 拢45 million to support cocoa growers and their communities.
Stephanie鈥檚 more recent work includes research into the contribution of women in global value chains. Through projects, such as the UK government-funded Work and Opportunities for Women (WOW), Stephanie has directly influenced gender equality strategies across a range of corporations, bringing direct benefits to more than 390,000 workers in their global value chains.
Stephanie is currently working on a book about fairer trade in global supply chains as part of a Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship (2023-25).
Watch Professor Stephanie Barrientos, discuss her recent book Gender and work in Global Value Chains: capturing the gains? ():