International Fairtrade

We are 25 organization working to secure a well again deal for producers. From our head office in Bonn, Germany, we set international Fairtrade standards and support Fairtrade producers. You can maintain producers struggling to develop their lives by buying products that transmit the FAIRTRADE MARK. Here you can find out how the system works and how it benefits producers.

Fairtrade standards are deliberate to tackle poverty and allow producers in the poorest country in the world. The standards apply to both producers and traders. Find out the need for Fairtrade in special product categories below. You can also see our fast links if you are involved in selling or buying Fairtrade. Read our policy on combination products here.

One of Fairtrade International's key tasks is to support Fairtrade producers. Here you can see information about the producers we work with, and information of the support we offer. Here you can wait up-to-date with Fairtrade. If you're a commentator, see our information about reporting on Fairtrade.

Scottish Fair trade Forum

The Scottish Fair Trade Forum was found in Perth at the Fair Trade Scotland meeting and was launched by International Development Minister Patricia Ferguson in 2007. The forum aims to ensure employees across the developing world receive fairer prices and straight working conditions for the products purchase in Scotland.

The government's commitment to fair trade forms a key part of the Scottish Executive's wider policy on international development and it seek to make Scotland one of the world's 1st Fair Trade Nations.

Fair trade is area which all Scottish consumers, including the executive, can take sensible steps to help improve poverty overseas. Representatives from fair trade shops, towns, charities and campaigner are among those involved in the newly launched meeting.

In 1994 there were just three fair trade products on the market. Now there are more than 2,000 - include coffee and chocolate - on sale in Scottish shops and supermarket.

The Forum holds meetings bi-monthly in various locations around Scotland and these are a chance for the public to give feedback on Fair trade doings across the country, helping shape the ongoing Fair Trade Nation campaign. The SFTF also produce a newsletter regularly feature in rank on Fair Trade activity in Schools, Universities and Colleges.

World’s Longest Bunting Fair Trade

World Fair Trade day, Saturday 14th May was the day the Fair Trade institution chose to hang their fair trade cotton flags in Battersea Park. This world record breaking challenge meant that 3.4 kilometers of streamer was hung throughout the park to raise consciousness of the unfair trading condition for cotton farmers in West Africa.

The campaign which was kick off during fair trade fortnight attracted over 130,000 being pieces of fair trade cotton bunting from towns, universities and other groups all through the UK. This was hung as a message to the UK Government and European Parliaments to stop excessive cotton subsidy.

This year we supported fair trade fortnight by hold a fair trade tea celebration where the team ate fair trade food and drank fair trade tea, coffee and hot chocolate. The Myakka store Outlet team also wore fair trade cotton t-shirts throughout the fortnight.

To find out more information on the Fair Trade Foundations campaigns as well as more information on the world record breaking challenge. They are waiting to hear from Guinness World Records for their approval of the record breaking attempt.

IMO’s ‘Fair for Life Program

For our 60th year anniversary, we are pleased to publicize that we are now certified Fair Trade! We take care of our employees with giving salaries and benefits IMO’s ‘Fair for Life Program we cap decision-making pay at five times the lowest-paid position, and we give all income not needed for business improvement to support progressive charity and causes. Organic Olive Oil from the Holy Land, Organic Coconut Oil from Sri Lanka ,Organic Palm Oil from Ghana, Domestic Fair Trade and Hemp

 

Now we have completed this philosophy to the farmers and employees around the world who produce our major raw materials. Along with their families and community, they benefit from fair prices, living wages and funding for local improvement projects. Shifting our supply chains to certified Fair Trade ingredients makes a big difference in the lives of more than a 5000 farmers and workers and is money well spent.

The fair Deal program is a domestic Fair Trade certification plan for North American organic family farms. The Hemp oil fair Deal program ensures that farmers receive a fair price for their natural crops. Based on Fair Trade system, these prices guarantee enough income to cover the costs of making plus labor and profit, allowing funds to be reinvested back into the organic family farm or local community.

Dr. Bronner’s uses hemp oil as a super fatting ingredient in all our soaps because of its unsurpassed essential fatty acid (EFA) content. Hemp oil is also a key ingredient in our lip balms, body balms and lotions.

Fair Trade in Facts

The Fair Trade shop was first open in 1958 in the USA selling produce from Puerto Rico in the South. In Europe Oxfam is the first who started to sell crafts made by Chinese refugees in the of 1950s. In 1973, Fair Trade Organization in Netherlands imported the first fair trade coffee from co-operatives of little farmers in Guatemala.

The European Fair Trade Association was found in 1987. The International Fair Trade Association started in 1989 and now has a global network of 270 fair trade organization and is still increasing. The British union of Fair Trade Shops promotes fair trade in the UK.

Fair-trade certified products now are found in 55,000 supermarkets all over Europe and the market share has become considerable in some countries.

In 2002 around 100 Fair trade Certified products be available in UK. By 2006 there were 2,000. In 1994 Green & Black’s Maya Gold organic chocolate grow to be the first UK Fair trade certified product.

There are other than 2,000 Fair trade Certified Products on the market plus chocolate, teas, coffee, bananas, clothes, coconuts but the TIANA quality organics range is the only complete range of Fair trade Certified Coconut Products & ingredient available in the UK.

Fair Trade use cocoa and chocolate

Fair Trade is a trading partnership, base on dialogue, transparency and respect, which seeks greater equity in international trade. It contribute to sustainable improvement by offering better trading conditions to, and secure their rights of, destitute producers and workers - specially in the South (FINE, 2001).

Fair Trade certified producer organization must comply with a number of supplies, related to social, economic and environmental development. In addition, labour condition in these organizations must follow certain values.

The necessary characteristic of Fair Trade cocoa chocolates is that producer organizations accept a higher price for their cocoa beans. The Fair Trade price represents the necessary condition for the producer organizations to have the economic ability to fulfil the more than requirements, and to cover the certification fees.

It is calculate on the basis of world market prices, plus fair trade premium. The Fair Trade premium for standard quality cocoa is US$ 150 per ton. The bare minimum price for Fair Trade standard quality cocoa, as well as the premium, is US$ 1,750 per ton. Other profit for certified producer organizations are better "capacity-building" and "market access".

Presently, cocoa sold with the Fair Trade label still capture a very low share of the cocoa market (0.1%). If you wish to know extra on this issue, please visit FAQ and go to "Fair trade".

Fair Trade Certified Products and Quality.

For years the Fair Trade Certified label has been a symbol for high quality, social responsibility and environmental sustainability assure consumers that goods were evaluated against rigorous standards that support the welfare of the farmers who grew and sew the products we love. Now Fair Trade standards have received an additional third-party approval from Good Guide, a scientific rating system that compares products on their health, environmental and social show. Good Guide has Fair Trade certification from Fair Trade USA, the leading third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States. Coffee, tea and cocoa products.

At Good Guide, we are working to authorize consumers with the best information on the most socially and environmentally sustainable products companies,” said Good Guide’s Co-Founder and Chief Sustainability Officer "Dara O’Rourke"

We’re excited to see the Fair Trade standards used as an authoritative standard for quality and sustainability,” said Paul Rice, President and CEO of Fair Trade USA. “In addition to incorporating Fair Trade certification Good Guide rating system, Fair Trade Certified products also make the best part of the highest-rated items, and it consistently dominates the top 10, 20 and even 30 best products to buy in coffee, tea and cocoa.

In the coffee category, the top 23 highest rate coffees are all Fair Trade Certified. With excellent records in the health, environment and social impact zones, products like Timothy’s Colombian and Nicaraguan blends, Tully’s Fair Trade natural Evergreen and a wide variety of coffees from Grounds for Change out-score other brand in the race for sustainable must buy.

For tea, 12 out of 15 top products bear the Fair Trade Certified label. With score of eight and above, Numi Teas really take the cake. Their White Rose Velvet Garden and Breakfast Blend Morning Rise Teas are among some of the most environmentally and publicly sustainable teas on the market.

And then there is chocolate. Every time appearing at the top of the list, brand like Kopali Organics, Green & Black’s, Tcho and Dagoba are the reasons. Why 8 of the 15 best rated cocoa products on Good Guide are Fair Trade Certified. Each of the brands uses responsibly source cocoa in their chocolate, showing the world their promise to fair labor practice, and social and environmental sustainability.

Fire trade products Fire-trade standards

The FAIR TRADE Label is an independent consumer label which appears on products as a certification that they have been certified next to internationally agreed Fair-trade standards. It share internationally recognized Fair-trade standards with project in 20 other countries, working together globally with producer network as Fair-trade International (FLO). The Label indicates that the product has been certified to give a well again deal to the producers implicated – it does not act as a support of an entire company’s business practices. It was introduce in Australia and New Zealand in 2003.

Who benefits from the Fair-trade?

Small-scale Farmers and Workers: The Fair-trade system profit approximately 1 million workers and farmers in 60 increasing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Including their dependents, five million people are affecting. Fair-trade certification allows them to get economic independence and empowerment while civilizing their standards of living. Beyond creature paid a fair price for their make, Fair-trade Premiums enable producers to better their communities by given that:

Improved access to low or no-interest loans

1.Technical assistance for shop infrastructure to pick up production, 2, connections systems, and collectively-owned transport and meting out tools,3,Better health care and education Technical training and skill diversification for helpful members and their family.

Environment: Fair Trade plunders and encourages farming and production practices that are environmentally sustainable, such as:

1.Incorporated farm management systems which lessen pollutants, pesticides and herbicides2.Organic agriculture techniques

How usages are Fair-trade Certification?

Fair-trade certification begins with producers - usually democratic links of small-scale farmers who grow the raw ingredient in Fair-trade certified products. Producers have to meet a range of criteria that focus on a range of areas include labour standards, sustainable farming, ascendancy, and democratic involvement.Producers are commonly checked by FLO-Cert, a free certification body owned by Fair-trade International, which conduct on-site audits to ensure producers go on to meet Fair-trade standards.

Companies that buy products from Fair-trade certified producer organization must also stick on to strict standards, daily report, and submit to on-site audits. These standard focuses on the terms of trade - specifically they spell out the minimum prices that can be paid to producers, the prospect for longer-term contracts, and the condition to provide up to 60% of the value of a agreement in advance should the producer’s request.

These companies are also audit to ensure the Fair-trade certified products they sell to their customers match the Fair-trade certified products they buy from producers, as are companies more along the supply chain who don't deal straight with producers. If those companies are placed outside of Canada, they report to and are audited by FLO-Cert or to one of Fair-trade Canada's sister organization.

In Canada, companies register with Fair-trade Canada to transaction in Fair-trade certified products. They must sign an agreement with us obliging them to report their purchases, processing and sale of everything that has been certified as Fair Trade. In adding up, the agreement spells out how they can and cannot use the Fair-trade certification mark on parcels and promotional material.

As with other actor in the supply chains of Fair-trade certified products, they are also requisite to open their books to us when we conduct on-site audits.

History of Fair the Trade

The early history of Fair Trade is linked to Christian faith-based groups, as it is they who originate this movement. Most people agree that it all in progress in the United States. What are now 10000 Villages and other relatives first sold handcrafts made by indigent people in the 1940s.

To be more specific, it is credited to Edna Ruth Byler to be the 1st Fair Trader. By 1940 she was volunteering in her Mennonite community and traveled to Puerto Rico. She met there some women living in poverty who were gifted to produce a quality linen needlework. 6 years later, she herself, along with her partner Ruth Lederach, took some items to a Mennonite world meeting in Switzerland and sold them there, attractive the first persons to actually trade fairly.

For a number of years she sold the mending from the trunk of her car, devoting her time and energy to this cause. Their first shop was opened in Akron U.S.A back in 1958. Later on, in 1968, this movement became "SELF HELP" craft of the world" and open the first American World Shop in Bluffton U.S.A. in 1972. They became financially self-sufficient and some years later, in 1996, changed their name to 10000 Villages, which still keeps in flower nowadays.

Here in Europe, Oxfam was fashioned after World War II to relief hunger to refugee; the name comes as an acronym of Oxford Committee for Famine Relief. Oxfam Trading in progress to operate in 1964 and later become the Fair Trade branch of this NGO. Now Oxfam is a large union with lots of branches in a lot of countries. They have created a fantastic "brand" image with their individual light green color and impacting campaign.

What is Fair Trade Certification?

Much like Organic certification, Fair Trade certification lets you know in relation to the origin of a product. Fair Trade Certified products come from all over in the world, but share a general history. Farmers who grow Fair Trade products get a fair price, and their community and the environment profit as fine.

Fair Trade Certified coffee directly supports a well again life for farming families in the increasing world all the way through fair prices, society development and environmental stewardship. Fair Trade farmers market their own harvest through direct, long-term contract with international buyer, learning how to control their businesses and compete in the global marketplace. Getting a fair price for their harvest allows these farmers to supply in their families' health care and education, reinvest in quality and protect the environment.

This empowerment model lifts farming families from deficiency through trade, not aid, create a more just and sustainable model of international trade that benefits producer, consumers, business and the Earth. The Fair Trade Certified label is back by TransFair USA, the primary third-party certifier of Fair Trade products for the U.S. market.

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