This is a brief description of what fair trade and fair trade certification are.
Fair Trade Certification empowers farmers and farm workers to lift themselves out of poverty by investing in their farms and communities, protecting the environment, and developing the business skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace. Fair Trade is much more than a fair price though!
Fair Trade principles include:
- Fair prices: Democratically organized farmer groups receive a guaranteed minimum floor price and an additional premium for certified organic products. Farmer organizations are also eligible for pre-harvest credit.
- Fair labor conditions: Workers on Fair Trade farms enjoy freedom of association, safe working conditions, and living wages.
- Forced child labor is strictly prohibited.
- Direct trade: Importers purchase from Fair Trade producer groups as directly as possible, eliminating unnecessary middlemen and empowering farmers to strengthen their organizations and become competitive players in the global economy.
- Democratic and transparent organizations: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers decide democratically how to use their Fair Trade premiums.
- Community development: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers invest Fair Trade premiums in social and business development projects like health care, new schools, quality improvement trainings, and organic certification.
- Environmental sustainability: The Fair Trade certification system strictly prohibits the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), promotes integrated farm management systems that improve soil fertility, and limits the use of harmful agrochemicals in favor of environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect farmers’ health and preserve valuable ecosystems for future generations.
TransFair USA and Transfair Canada, are non-profit organizations, and are the only independent, third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the U.S. and Canada. They are two of the 20 members of Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO). TransFair’s rigorous audit system, which tracks products from farm to finished product, verifies industry compliance with Fair Trade criteria. TransFair allows companies to display the Fair Trade Certified label on products that meet strict Fair Trade standards.
Fair Trade Certification is currently available in the U.S. and Canada for coffee, tea and herbs, cocoa and chocolate, fresh fruit, sugar, rice, and vanilla.
Fair Trade Certified label used in the U.S.
Fair Trade Certified label used in Canada
Fair Trade Certified label used in Europe. Note: The fair trade label used in Europe is spelled Fairtrade and was created in 2002 to unify the 20 member organizations, although they still allow U.S. and Canada to use their own labels.
