What is Fair Trade?

What is Fair Trade Certified?

· The Fair Trade Certified™ label is the only guarantee to consumers that farmers in developing countries were paid a fair price for their product, enabling a better life for their families and investment into the quality of their products.

· Following the success of Certified Organic, Fair Trade Certification (FTC) empowers consumers by enabling them to choose products that align with their values. This surging consumer movement shows no sign of slowing and will become the next mainstream sustainable grocery option.

· The FTC system began in Europe 17 years ago and has expanded into 20 consumer and 60 producer countries to become internationally recognized as the largest, most rigorous social certification system in the world.

Fair Trade Overview

Fair Trade is an innovative, market-based approach to sustainable development. Fair Trade helps family farmers in developing countries to gain direct access to international markets, as well as to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace. By learning how to market their own harvests, Fair Trade farmers are able to bootstrap their own businesses and receive a fair price for their products. This leads to higher family living standards, thriving communities and more sustainable farming practices. Fair Trade empowers farming families to take care of themselves - without developing dependency on foreign aid.

The Fair Trade Certified label guarantees:

A fair price

The Fair Trade Certified label guarantees that farmers and workers received a fair price for their product. The Fair Trade price means that farmers can feed their families and that their children can go to school instead of working in the fields.

Quality products

By receiving a fair price, Fair Trade producers can avoid cost-cutting practices that sacrifice quality. The Fair Trade producers' traditional artisanal farming methods result in exceptional products.

Care for the environment

Most Fair Trade Certified coffee, tea and chocolate in the US is certified organic and shade grown. This means that the products you buy maintain biodiversity, provide shelter for migratory birds and help reduce global warming.

For more information about criteria for Fair Trade see the Business Case for Fair Trade or visit
www.Fairtradecertified.org