Fairtrade general presentation

Notes de l'éditeur

1. This is a common definition agreed by the four organisations that make up FINE i.e. FLO (Fairtrade Labelling Organisations), IFAT (International Federation for Alternative Trade), NEWS! (Network of European World Shops) and EFTA (European Fair Trade Association)   “ Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers – especially in the South“ Over forty years ago people started to realise that improving terms of trade was a more effective way to support disadvantaged people in developing countries than just giving aid alone. At first volunteers sold, what were called fair trade products through one-world shops and church bazaars. Then alternative-trading organisations such as Traidcraft and development agencies such as Oxfam marketed fair trade goods through their shops and mail order catalogues. But some form of labelling was required if fair trade was to enter the mainstream market place. In 1988 Max Havelaar in Holland launched the first Fairtrade consumer guarantee label on coffee sourced from Mexico. The UK National Initiative, called the Fairtrade Foundation was founded in 1992. As more National Initiatives emerged, the need for harmonisation became apparent and in 1997 Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (or FLO) was established, as the secretariat for all National Labelling Initiatives.   There are presently 19 National Initiatives that make up FLO, which is based in Bonn, Germany. FLO is responsible for certifying and monitoring Fairtrade producer organisations and for setting international Fairtrade standards. The Fairtrade Labelling movement differentiated itself from the wider fair trade movement with the use of Fairtrade as one word. This is especially so in the UK where Fairtrade is always written as one word when referring to the Fairtrade Foundation as in FAIRTRADE Mark, Fairtrade Fortnight and Fairtrade Towns.