Fairtrade Foundation UK

Background

The Fairtrade Foundation was established in 1992 by CAFOD, Christian Aid, New Consumer, Oxfam, Traidcraft and the World Development Movement. These founding organisations were later joined by Britain's largest women's organisation, the Women's Institute.

Function

The Fairtrade Foundation works in the UK developing awareness and deepen understanding of the Fairtrade Mark and increase sales of Fairtrade products. It also licenses the Fairtrade Mark to products in the UK and works alongside the Fairtrade Labelling Organisations (FLO) to develop Fairtrade criteria and update standards.

Organisation

The Foundation is a company limited by guarantee and a charity registered in England and Wales. It is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association as adopted on 2 July 1992 and amended on 25 January 1994 and 20 May 2003. The Articles of Association provide for the founder members to elect up to four Trustees and up to a further four Trustees to be elected by the full membership. The Board then has the power to co-opt further Trustees, providing that the maximum number of Trustees does not exceed 10. One third of elected Trustees are required to stand down each year, and Trustees can serve for up to two three year terms. The Board meets five times a year to determine Foundation strategies and policies and to monitor progress against objectives. There are two sub committees of the Board – the Executive Committee,(formerly the Finance and Personnel Committee), consisting of three Board members and a specialist adviser on Personnel issues which meets up to five times a year, and a Certification Committee, consisting of one Board member and three external experts which meets four times a year. Minutes of both sub committees are reported to the full Board at the subsequent Board meeting. Day-to-day operations of the charity are managed through a senior management team consisting of the Director, Deputy Director (with specific responsibility for Commercial Relations) and three team leaders with responsibility for Communications, Certification, and Finance and Resources.

The Fairtrade Foundation is a registered charity (no. 1043886). It is also a company registered in England and Wales (no. 2733136).

Charity Shareholders, Patrons and Board Members

Charity Shareholders

• Banana Link
• CAFOD
• Christian Aid
• Methodist Relief and Development Fund
• NFWI (National Federation of Women's Institutes of England, Wales, Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man
• Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign
• Oxfam
• People and Planet
• Shared Interest Foundation
• SCIAF (Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund)
• Traidcraft Exchange
• United Reformed Church
• WDM (World Development Movement)

Patron

• George Alagiah

Board Members

• Chair: Mike Gidney (Traidcraft Exchange)
• Treasurer: Lynne Gregory (Childline)
• Cathy Keable Elliott (CAFOD)
• Janice Langley (National Federation of Women’s Institutes)
• Rosemary Byrde (Oxfam)
• Peter Lockyer (Christian Aid)
• Ed Mayo (National Consumer Council)
• Sue Osborne (Shared Interest)
• Bert Schouwenburg (GMB London Region)
• Nabs Suma (consultant on organic and certification issues)
• Jez Frampton (Chief Executive, Interbrand)

References, Resources and Contact

Contact

Website: www.fairtrade.org.uk

Resources

• The Fairtrade Foundation UK Annual report and Financial Statments for year ended 31 December 2004 [5]