Fairtrade Standards

The following Fairtrade Standards principles apply to both small farmers and workers and their organizations:

Social development
For small farmers organisations, Fairtrade Standards require that:

For hired labour situations the Fairtrade Standards require that the company:

Economic development
For most products Fairtrade Standards require the industry to pay a Fairtrade Minimum Price and a Fairtrade Premium to the producers. The Fairtrade Minimum Price allows the producer to cover the costs of sustainable production. The Fairtrade premium is money for the farmers or for the workers on a plantation to invest in improving their livelihood. Premium money is meant to be spent by local communities on health, education and environmental and economic improvements. The farmers or workers decide themselves what are the most important priorities for them.

Also, Fairtrade Standards require buyers to give a financial advance to producers if they ask for it. This is to help producers to have access to capital and so overcome what can be one of the biggest obstacles to their development. This promotes entrepreneurship and can help the economic development of rural communities.

Environmental development
Fairtrade Standards include requirements for environmentally sound agricultural practises, including safe use of agrochemicals, proper and safe management of waste, soil fertility and water resources and no use of genetically modified organisms. However, Fairtrade Standards do not require organic certification. Higher Fairtrade Minimum Prices are required for organically grown products, to support those farmers who do choose to be organic, but farmers who cannot become organic are still able to become Fairtrade certified.

Besides these common principles, there are specific principles only for small farmer organizations and specific principles only for hired labour situations, which you can read at the FLO's website.

There are minimum requirements, which producers must meet to be certified, and progress requirements that encourage producer organizations to continuously improve in all areas and to invest in the development of the their members.

Related Pages About Fair Trade:

About fair trade
A brief introduction to fair trade, and why it is important.

Fair trade or FAIRTRADE
A brief description of the differences between the different types of fair trade, and Fairtrade certification.

Fairtrade standards
A brief description of standards that must be adhered to in order to gain Fairtrade certification

Fairtrade zone status
What is involved in achieving Fairtrade Foundation certification for towns, boroughs, and other areas

Fair trade for businesses
What business can do to support fair trade, and what can be done to encourage them.