Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability.

The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards. It focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine, fresh fruit, chocolate, flowers and gold.

 

With Fairtrade everyone wins

 

Consumers
Shoppers can buy products in line with their values and principles. They can choose from an ever growing range of great products. By buying into Fairtrade consumers support producers who are struggling to improve their lives.

Traders/companies
Since its launch in 2002 the FAIRTRADE Mark has become the most widely, recognised social and development label in the world. Fairtrade offers companies a credible way to ensure that their trade has a positive impact for the people at the end of the chain.

Environment
Fairtrade rewards and encourages farming and production practices that are environmentally sustainable. Producers are also encouraged to strive toward organic certification. Producers must:

• Protect the environment in which they work and live. This includes areas of natural water, virgin forest and other important land areas and dealing with problems of erosion and waste management.
• Develop, implement and monitor an operations plan on their farming and techniques.  This needs to reflect a balance between protecting the environment and good business results.
• Follow national and international standards for the handling of chemicals. There is a list of chemicals which they must not use.
• Not, intentionally, use products which include genetically modified organisms (GMO).
• Work out and monitor what affect their activities are having on the environment. Then they must make a plan of how they can lessen the impacts and keep checking that this plan is carried out.

What are the benefits of Fairtrade?
Fairtrade helps small-scale producers in developing countries to get:

• better prices
• decent working conditions
• local sustainability
• and fair terms of trade

By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices, Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives. A premium is also paid on top of the Fairtrade minimum price that is invested in social, environmental and economic developmental projects, decided upon democratically by a committee of producers.

What is the Fairtrade Mark?
The FAIRTRADE Mark is an independent consumer label which appears on UK products as a guarantee that they have been certified against internationally agreed Fairtrade standards.  It shares internationally recognised Fairtrade standards with initiatives in 20 other countries, working together globally with producer networks as Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO).

What are Fairtrade standards?
Fairtrade standards comprise both minimum social, economic and environmental requirements, which producers must meet to be certified, plus progress requirements that encourage continuous improvement to develop farmers’ organisations.

Can buying Fairtrade products help to tackle climate change?
Yes! The Fairtrade system includes environmental standards as part of producer certification. The standard require producers to:

• work to protect the natural environment and make environmental   protection a part of farm management

• minimise the use of energy, especially energy from non-renewable sources

• help producers preserve their own environment

• have a positive social benefit in their community

Fairtrade criteria do require sustainable farming techniques and Fairtrade Premiums are often used to train producers in organic and sustainable techniques like composting and integrating recycled materials, which can help them make progress in organic conversion in the future. The Fairtrade system’s environmental standards and guidelines have banned the use of GM seeds by farmers, and encourage active monitoring in nearby fields.

Empowering workers
The Fairtrade standards protect workers basic rights according to the International Labour Organisation conventions. This means health and safety standards, freedom of association, collective bargaining, no discrimination and no bonded or illegal child labour. The Joint Body, which includes a majority of worker representatives, decides how to invest the Fairtrade premium, works to create good working relationships between management and workers, and helps workers gain skills in leadership, communication and project management

For more information please visit the Fairtrade Foundation’s website.