Many of us have heard or read about all these Fairtrade certifications and labels, but exactly where do all these extremely similar (at least name-wise) certifications differ? An important first note would be to mention that the term “fair trade” (two words) isn’t a registered trademark and can be used by anyone outside the WTO (World Trade Organization) or any other official institution that practices the laws and principles of the “Fairtrade” (One word) world community. The fairtrade practices date far beyond the 1970´s, some even as old as post world war II, as were the famous acts by Edna Ruth Byler who began importing needlecrafts from low income women in South America; but the one concerning this article, and which is nowadays referred to as Fairtrade International, was officially instaurated when they first began using what would later be known as the famous Max Havelaar logo on the products they were trading. Nowadays, Fairtrade International relies on practices like the minimum price and fairtrade premium to support small-scale farmers that are among the most marginalized among the global trade system. For Fairtrade International it’s all about being fair to both producers and consumers.
We have mapped Fairtrade International to:
- Protecting Ecosystems/Low Impact
- Safe & Fair Labor
Fairtrade International certifies:
- Products
- Suppliers & Manufacturers
Cost to get certified:
An application fee is required but has to be calculated according to the specific business or industry, this fee is non-refundable. You can find the cost calculator for this fee on Flocert’s webpage.
Do they perform audits on companies:
Yes, FLORCERT, Fairtrade’s third-party auditing institution is in charge of doing the auditing. Here are a couple of videos that describe what Florcert’s auditings look like.
Standards listed on their website:
You can find how Fairtrade International sets their standards, different forms to participating in the standards setting process, information on the ISEAL code for good practice, consultation processes and more right here.
