A method to certify Fair Trade Software practice

Abstract

The last two decades, the software industry has experienced a steady trend towards globalisation. Outsourcing and offshoring software development entails numerous challenges. This paper reviews the literature showing that most of the reported challenges focus on the economic dimension; that is, factors that threaten productivity and benefits. The social and environmental dimensions have been marginally investigated. To cover that gap, we have conducted a case study on the Fair Trade Software Foundation, thoroughly investigating its underlying principles. This has revealed the need for a method to assess the extent to which the practices of the member companies of the FTSF are indeed fair. We have designed such a method, supported it with a socio-environmental auditing tool and validated it with experts. It has undergone two iterations. We expect that these contributions will help information technology companies continuously improve their Fair Trade Software practices.