BERKHAMSTED FAIRTRADE
Fairtrade - Some Common Questions
What is Fairtrade?
The first Fairtrade label was launched in the Netherlands in 1988. The Fairtrade Foundation launched the first Fairtrade certified product (Green and Black's Maya Gold Chocolate) in Britain in 1994. Fairtrade refers to the many and various products that meet Fairtrade standards and have been certified by the Fairtrade Foundation, and licenced to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark.
The FAIRTRADE Mark
Always look for products with the FAIRTRADE Mark.
Where you see the FAIRTRADE mark it means that
1. The Fairtrade producers have been paid a fair price (which never falls below market price).
2. They have received the Fairtrade Premium, extra money, to develop their businesses and community projects (such as building schools, buying new tools, laying new roads).
3. Workers get fair deal - for example the producers always have a democratic say in decision making; workers get a fair wage, decent working conditions and employment rights.
Producers and buyers work together on longer contracts, and so the producers can plan for a more certain future and take control of their lives.
A note of Caution....................
Beware of companies using the Fairtrade name unethically.
Always look for the FAIRTRADE mark - the only guarantee that producers
have been given a better deal!
Why is this important?
International trade often discriminates against the poorest and weakest producers in developing countries.
When world prices fall these producers are the first to suffer, because their income falls below the cost of production
even though prices in the shops remain the same!
Fairtrade aims to put right this inequality.
How does Fairtrade differ from Fair Trade or Fairly Traded goods?
Fair Trade refers to products that are supplied by a member of either IFAT, the International Fair Trade Association,
or BAFTS, the British Association for Fair Trade Shops.
These are membership organisations and not certification systems, however these companies are still committed
to trading fairly.
How can I find out more?
The website of the Fairtrade Foundation www.fairtrade.org.uk is the most comprehensive source of information about fairtrade.
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