Buber called for an I-Thou relationship whenever possible, and an I-It
relationship whenever necessary.

I can think of no application of this philosophy that is more urgent, more
necessary, than now in our economic relations with developing countries.
Economic iniquity breeds not only material poverty, but whole-person poverty.
And not only over there, in the Third World, but within us, here.

The I-Thou, I-It distinction is the reason I believe in fair trade; that is,
trade that is characterized by a concern for social and economic justice. Fair
trade coffee, the flagship fair trade item, is produced in cooperatives
characterized by fair wages, decent working conditions, democratic involvement
of the workers, and concern for the environment. Fair trade coffee approaches
an I-Thou relation with those who supply us with our morning jolt.

In buying fair trade products, each one of us buys into an act of respect
towards the men and women who have made that product.

We live in a world that is at present dominated by It-ness, where profit and
convenience often seem to matter more than quality of life, than simple
happiness and harmony. Our relations with developing countries have been
especially marked by egregious It-ness.

The Thou-ness of fair trade is a way of reclaiming our humanity and that of
those who are less fortunate than us. The I-Thou relation is not a matter of a
rhapsodic encounter with God. Buber did not believe in elites, whether
economic, hereditary or mystical. Giving oneself, much like withholding
oneself, is not a luxury affordable only to a few. It is available to all. We
must only make the effort of reaching out.