01490nas a2200109   4500008004100000245008500041210006900126260001200195520102100207100002001228856013201248       2014                        eng d00aFair Trade Alternative Trade Organizations as a degrowth-friendly business model0 aFair Trade Alternative Trade Organizations as a degrowthfriendly  aLeipzig3 a<p>This paper focuses on the specific features of the Alternative Trade Organizations (ATOs) developed within the Fair Trade system. They are an example of an organizational business model able to create and alternative market where social and ethical aspects are prioritized over profit-seeking. Their example offers important insights about the possibility to create a degrowth-friendly market system. The study of ATOs shows the ideal-typical characteristics of an alternative entrepreneurial model and the social and structural features supporting it. This paper is based on five years of research on Fair Trade as an alternative market. It offers empirical evidence about the features of the ATOs -and their specific market-, which support their effective social performance in spite of contrasting conventional market constraints. The specific characteristics supporting ATOs entail specific cultural aspects, as well as specific organizational and structural features. These are at the core of this paper.</p>1 aVerrea, Valerio  uhttps://degrowth.community/conference2014/science/content/fair-trade-alternative-trade-organizations-degrowth-friendly-business