Come join award-winning journalist Priya David Clemens in conversation with Paul Rice, founder and former CEO of Fair Trade USA, to discuss his critical account of the past, present and future of conscious capitalism—the change it has wrought in the world and the potential it still has to confront our greatest challenges.

We all have the power to change the world through the products we buy. This simple premise has driven the growth of the conscious consumer movement for decades. Indeed, what started with a handful of niche sustainability brands has exploded into the mainstream with labels like "organic," "non-GMO," and "fair trade certified" now adorning products in major retailers across the country.

Yet the true promise of ethical sourcing and conscious consumerism has not been fully realized. Paul Rice has dedicated his career to helping consumers and businesses embrace the power they have to protect the environment and improve the lives of farmers and workers on the far side of our global supply chains.

In Every Purchase Matters, Rice reveals the untold story of the fair-trade movement and its significance for us all. Calling on the close relationships he cultivated over the last 40 years with the pioneers of ethical sourcing—CEOs, activists, grassroots farmer leaders, and consumer advocates—Rice gives voice to the visionaries and practitioners who are making sustainable business the new normal. These protagonists share successes and failures, lessons learned, and their extraordinary impact in communities around the world. Their stories illuminate how sustainability is good not only for people and planet but also for business.

Whether you’re a consumer, a business leader, or an investor, Rice offers a rich and persuasive case for conscious capitalism—the change it has brought and the potential it still has to create a more just, equitable, and sustainable world.

About the Speakers

Paul Rice is the founder & former CEO of Fair Trade USA, the leading certifier of fair-trade products in the United States. 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. To date, Fair Trade USA has partnered with more than 1,400 leading companies. Fair Trade USA now certifies coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar, coconut, fresh produce and fish. It has begun certifying apparel and home goods, improving the lives of factory workers. In 2020 consumer recognition of the Fair Trade Certified label hit 63 percent and U.S. retail sales of fair trade products grew to $8 billion. As a result, to date, Fair Trade USA and its partners generated more than $830 million in additional income for farmers and workers in 70 countries, allowing them to care for the environment and steadily improve their livelihoods.

Prior to founding Fair Trade USA, Rice worked for 11 years as a rural development specialist in the mountains of Nicaragua, where he founded and led the country's first fair trade, organic coffee export cooperative. Rice's rich, first-hand experience over the last 30 years in the fields of sustainable agriculture, grassroots economic development, global supply chain transparency and consumer activation is unique in the certification world. He is now a leading advocate of “impact sourcing” as a core strategy for both poverty alleviation and sustainable business. Rice has been named Ethical Corporation’s 2019 Business Leader of the Year and is a four-time winner of Fast Company magazine’s Social Capitalist of the Year. Rice is also the recipient of the prestigious Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and has spoken at the World Economic Forum, Clinton Global Initiative, Skoll World Forum, TEDx and numerous universities and conferences around the world.

From political leaders and bestselling authors to groundbreaking scientists, doctors, artists, and athletes, Priya David Clemens leads discussions that go beyond the headlines to inform, challenge, and illuminate. With more than 15 years of television news experience, Clemens has anchored and reported nationally for CBS, NBC, MSNBC, and locally for KTVU, KQED, KOIN, and WVTM. Her journalism has taken her across the U.S. and around the world, covering everything from presidential elections to pop culture to technological frontiers. Priya also served as the spokesperson for Golden Gate Bridge, telling the stories of one of the world’s most iconic landmarks.

As the founder of Bridge Media Company, Priya builds content and communications strategy for business, philanthropy, and government clients. Recently, Bridge Media created an interview series for Waverley Street Foundation to explore climate solutions centered in community; produced a live streaming journalism series for GatherVerse focused the human impact of emerging technology; and launched the critically acclaimed podcast "100 Days of Kamala," in which insiders shared hometown stories about Vice President Harris during her historic run for the presidency.

Priya has also served as press ambassador for the City of San Francisco for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, promoting civic messaging and hospitality for thousands of local, national, and international visiting journalists.