IMPORTANCE OF HYBRID SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS CERTIFIED BY FAIRTRADE FOR ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Purpose: The objective of this study is to identify how the model of Brazilian hybrid social organizations certified by Fairtrade relates to the Sustainable Development Goals. Method/approach: An exploratory-descriptive research was carried out, and a survey was built, validated, and applied with representatives of 21 Fairtrade organizations in Brazil. The data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics, using the RStudio software. Main findings: The main results indicate that the business model developed by hybrid social organizations certified by Fairtrade in Brazil allows the implementation of concrete actions and projects guided by economic, social and environmental logics. Strongly structured by the mechanisms known as the Minimum Price and the Fairtrade Premium, the SDGs related to quality education, fighting hunger, innovation and infrastructure, and especially responsible consumption and production are the most fulfilled. Theoretical, practical/social contributions: The contribution of this article is threefold: first, to present a survey capable of understanding the most attended to and the most critical issues regarding the hybrid dimensions of hybrid social organizations; second, to present an overview of the hybrid characteristics of Brazilian organizations certified by Fairtrade; and third, to broaden the debate around the importance of hybrid social organizations for the implementation of concrete actions guided by the SDGs. Originality/relevance: The novelty of the study lies in the articulation of theoretical bases not yet explored in the organizational literature, relating organizational hybridism, the Fairtrade movement and certification, and the cooperativism/associativism guidelines to the SDGs.