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What is Fair Trade?
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. Fair Trade organizations (backed by consumers) are engaged in actively supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade.
The Principles of Fair Trade:
- Create opportunities for artisans in extreme poverty
- Transparency
- Skills development
- Deliberately working with marginalized artisans in order to help them move from economic vulnerability to economic security and self-sufficiency
- Empower artisans to actively play a role in the global market to achieve greater equality in international trade
- Gender equality
- Respect of environment
- Social and economic justice
International Fair Trade Organizations:
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It permits more than 800,000 producers, workers and their dependants in 50 countries to benefit from labelled Fairtrade. FLO guarantees that products sold anywhere in the world with a Fairtrade label marketed by a National Initiative conforms to Fairtrade Standards and contributes to the development of disadvantaged producers and workers.
FLO International FLO-Cert
Kaiser-Friedrich-Strasse 13 Goerrestrasse 30
D - 53113 Bonn D - 53113 Bonn
Germany Germany
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email: info@ifat.org |
Over 270 FTOs in 60 countries form the basis of their network and membership is growing steadily. Approximately 65% of their members are based in the South (that is: Asia, the Middle East, Africa and South America) with the rest coming from North America & the Pacific Rim and Europe. They truly are international!
The members have the concept of Fair Trade at the heart of their mission and at the core of what they do. They come in many shapes and sizes and represent the Fair Trade chain from product to sale. The members are producer co-operatives and associations, export marketing companies, importers, retailers, national and regional Fair Trade networks and financial institutions, dedicated to the Fair Trade movement.
IFAT's mission is to improve the livelihoods and well being of disadvantaged producers by linking and promoting Fair Trade Organizations, and speaking out for greater justice in world trade.
IFAT: the International Fair Trade AssociationPrijssestraat 24
4101 CR Culemborg
The Netherlands
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They import Fair Trade products from about 400 economically disadvantaged producer groups in Africa, Asia and Latin America. EFTA's members are based in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
EFTA was established in 1990, after many years of informal cooperation between its member organisations. Ten years on, EFTA is a key player in harmonising and coordinating Fair Trade activities in several fields in an international context via its work with other Fair Trade Networks. The EFTA members achieved a combined turnover, on the basis of retail-figure calculations, of almost 150 million Euro in 2001 (compared with 127 million Euro in 2000 and 115 million Euro in 1999), excluding Oxfam UK, which stopped direct imports. There are 510 full time staff equivalents employed in the EFTA member organisations. Of the total EFTA member sales, handicrafts represent 25,4% while food represents 69,4%. The remaining 5.2% is made up of literature and products sourced from organisations in the social economy in the North. The share of sales of Fair Trade products by EFTA members originating in Africa, Asia and Latin America is 26%, 40%, and 34% respectively.
Main Office: Kerkewegje 1
NL- 6305 BC Schin op Geul
Advocacy Office:
43, Rue de la Charite
B-1210 Brussels