Sociale, ambientale... anche locale? Antiche e nuove sensibilità del consumatore equo e solidale

This paper is part of the field of critical consumption studies, sketching a portrait of fair trade consumers in Italy today. The study adopts an original approach from three perspectives: 1) studying consumers within the World Shops, the traditional channels of fair trade consumption; 2) analyzing their actual purchasing practices; 3) considering consumers as historical subjects depth. The research project, which adopts a mixed-methods approach through the use of questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and ethnographic observations, identifies a typology of COMES consumers. A heterogeneous portrait emerges, where alongside consumers tied to more traditional values, there are others who have just recently approached the World Shops, in a cultural climate more sensitive to environmental sustainability and proximity economy.