Fairtrade Research

• Fairtrade is a global movement with a strong and active presence in the UK, represented by the Fairtrade Foundation.
• Fairtrade is a global movement with a strong and active presence in the UK, represented by the Fairtrade Foundation.
• Fairtrade is a movement for change that works directly with businesses, consumers and campaigners to make trade deliver for farmers and workers.
• The international Fairtrade system (which the Fairtrade Foundation is a part of) represents the world's largest and most recognised fair trade system. We are a global organisation working to secure a better deal for farmers and workers.
• The Fairtrade Foundation is an independent non-profit organisation that focuses on four key areas of work in the UK:
  
  • We provide independent certification of the trade chain for products and license the use of the FAIRTRADE Mark on products 
  • We help in growing demand for Fairtrade products and empowering  producers to sell to traders and retailers
  • We find new ways of working with our partners to support producer organisations and their networks
  • We raise awareness of the need for Fairtrade to the public and the significant role  of Fairtrade in making trade fair
• Fairtrade is a simple way to make a difference to the lives of the people who grow the things we love.
• They do this by changing the way trade works through better prices, decent working conditions and a fair deal for farmers and workers in developing countries.
• Fairtrade is unique. They work with businesses, consumers and campaigners. Farmers and workers have an equal say in everything they do.
• Empowerment is at the core of who they are.  
• They have a vision: a world in which all producers can enjoy secure and sustainable livelihoods, fulfil their potential and decide on their future.
• Their mission is to connect disadvantaged producers and consumers, promote fairer trading conditions and empower producers to combat poverty, strengthen their position and take more control over their lives.
• There are over 1.65 million farmers and workers in 1,226 producer organisations across the Fairtrade system.
• The list below allows you to explore some case studies of both producer organisations and individual workers in 74 countries across four continents.
• Discover the difference that Fairtrade is making to the lives of farmers and workers, their families and communities.

Fairtrade sets standards: Fairtrade Standards social, economic and environmental standards that are set for both companies and the farmers and workers who grow the food we love. For farmers and workers the standards include protection of workers’ rights and the environment, for companies they include the payment of the Fairtrade Minimum Price and an additional Fairtrade Premium to invest in business or community projects of the community’s choice.

Fairtrade certifies products and ingredients: They independently check that our standards have been met by the farmers, workers and companies that are part of products’ supply chains. And in order to reassure consumers that this has happened, they license the use of the FAIRTRADE Mark on products and packaging to signal this. When all the ingredients that can be Fairtrade in a product are, the product carries this Mark.

Fairtrade works with companies’ own schemes: Shopper demand has driven companies to start thinking about sustainability. When considering whether to partner in some way with a business-own sustainability scheme, Fairtrade compares the way the scheme works to a set of core Fairtrade principles. This is to ensure they only work with schemes that share our values. These principles are at the heart of Fairtrade’s mission and activities, and include ensuring that producers are paid a fair price, working to support strong, flourishing producer organisations and enabling democratic decision-making by farmers and workers on their business and community development.

Fairtrade lobbies government: They mobilise their grassroots support from the British public to demand fairer treatment in trade deals towards farmers in developing countries who supply us with so much of our food.

Fairtrade works directly with producers: With our Fairtrade partners in origin we work on specific issues, from Bolivian coffee farmers tackling the plant diseases linked to climate change, to cocoa-growing communities creating a women’s leadership school in Côte d’Ivoire.


We drive awareness with the public: Through our Fairtrade Towns, Schools and Faith groups and through our campaigns we drive awareness of the issues of unfair trade and ask the public ‘Don’t Feed Exploitation – choose Fairtrade’.


Fairtrade sell a variety of different products including: bananas, chocolate, gold, coffee, cotton, flowers, tea and sugar.
Bananas:

• One in three bananas bought in the UK is Fairtrade and it makes a huge difference to thousands of farmers, workers and their families.
• The price of a banana bought in a UK supermarket has dropped from around 18p a decade ago to just 11p now. The result is that for farmers and workers in countries like Colombia and the Dominican Republic, growing bananas for a living is becoming unsustainable.
• But buying Fairtrade bananas in the UK means that producers are guaranteed a minimum price, get an extra premium to invest in their community and have improved workplace conditions and protection.

Chocolate:

• Life is tough for cocoa farmers. The price of cocoa beans has slumped in recent years despite high demand, disease and age are damaging cocoa trees and few young people are becoming cocoa farmers because of the poor prospects.
• Fairtrade helps to make cocoa farming in places like Ivory Coast and Ghana more sustainable by guaranteeing minimum prices and providing a premium to invest in local communities, so farmers can provide a better future for themselves and their families.
• And you can give them this opportunity just by enjoying your favourite Fairtrade chocolate treat.

Gold:

• Fairtrade Certified Gold is the world's first independent ethical certification system for gold.
• Buying Fairtrade Gold makes a real difference to the lives of miners, their families and communities.
• Jewellery with the Fairtrade Gold Stamp is extra special. Buying it means you know the small-scale and artisanal miners were paid a fair price, giving them financial security.
• They also receive an extra amount of money to invest in building the future of their families and their communities, through education, medical care or environmental projects.

Coffee:

• When you choose Fairtrade coffee, not only can farmers build a better quality of life for their families and communities, they can invest in growing better quality beans too.
• Fairtrade coffee farmers invest at least 25 percent of their Fairtrade premium in improving productivity and quality.
• Choose Fairtrade coffee and you’re also supporting farmers to fight the challenges they may face.  These include the effects of a changing climate, low and unpredictable incomes and in some coffee growing communities, there may not be enough food available for three to four months a year.
• Being part of Fairtrade has meant better knowledge about protecting the local environment and the chance to plant other crops and buy livestock to put more food on the table.

Cotton:

• Lots of us care about how we look – and buying clothes made with Fairtrade cotton means we can be a follower of fashion and at the same time help low paid cotton farmers around the world.
• The price of cotton has slumped in the last 30 years, even though the cost of producing it has risen and that means farmers in places like India, Kyrgyzstan and West Africa are struggling to survive.
• Buying products made from Fairtrade Cotton ensures that the farmers receive a fair and stable price for their cotton.

Flowers:

• Whatever the occasion, you can say it with Fairtrade flowers. With 69 shades available across UK retailers and online there is colour to suit everyone.
• There are almost 50,000 flower workers working with Fairtrade to get a better deal. They grow, harvest, pack and care for the roses so you can enjoy them all year round.
• Fairtrade flowers are traceable back to the original farm, if you shop at Sainsbury’s you’ll notice the price labels say which farm the flowers have come from. Fairtrade certified farms must ensure safety and working conditions for their employees and a premium of 10% for every stem sold allows workers to invest in healthcare, education and other social benefits. Fairtrade works with flower workers in countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Ecuador, Uganda and Tanzania.
• Many of the major supermarkets and stockists offer Fairtrade flowers. These include not just Roses and Spray Roses and Lilies but also, Eryngium, Calla Lilies, Sunflowers, and Alstroemerias so there’s a Fairtrade bouquet whether it’s your wedding day or a simple thank you.

Sugar:

• British consumers and companies choosing Fairtrade sugar sent more than £5million in Fairtrade premium back to sugar cane smallholders last year.
• Consumed in moderation, sugar can provide some of life’s great pleasures and whilst concerns about obesity and health are critically important, few would choose to live without it entirely.
• This is used for projects ranging from improving farming techniques to investing in schools – helping thousands of farmers and their families in countries from Belize to  Zambia to take control of their own lives and destinies and improving their communities and their environment.
• Fairtrade sugar is stocked by many major retailers and supermarkets – and is used in some chocolate bars as well as by restaurants and ice cream makers. Next time you bake a cake or sprinkle sugar on your pancakes, make it Fairtrade and make life a little sweeter for the farmers who produced it as well.

Tea:

• Not all tea is created equal.
• Behind your brew, real people face low wages, discrimination and the hard choices living in poverty can bring.
• Whether farmers working their own land, or workers on big estates, the people who grow and pick our tea often don’t earn enough to even feed their families.
• But when you buy Fairtrade tea, farmers and workers can bring greater security, equality and opportunity to the lives of their families and communities – and that’s just for starters.
• Through Fairtrade, they can improve their working conditions and learn how to improve the way they farm and manage their environment. They can make sure their children are fed and can go to school. Communities can invest in clean water and clinics, improving everyone’s health