Fairtrade

Fairtrade Mark

The FAIRTRADE Mark is an independent consumer label which appears on products as an independent guarantee that disadvantaged producers in the developing world are getting a better deal. For a product to display the FAIRTRADE Mark it must meet international Fairtrade standards. These standards are set by the international certification body Fairtrade Labelling Organisations (FLO). Producer organisations that supply Fairtrade products are inspected and certified by FLO. Fairtrade Foundation UK licenses the FAIRTRADE Mark to products in the UK which meet FLO standards. The supplier (brand-owner or main national distributor) must sign the Foundation’s Licence Agreement which provides a licence to use the Mark.

Until recently many different fairtrade logos existed making it difficult for consumers to relate to common fairtrade standards or recognise easily which products were fairly traded. Since 2003 however one international logo has been used which has been developed by FLO although the rate of introducation has varied from country to country. The logo can be seen at: [[1]]

Issues with Fairtrade

Cost

Supermarket mark-up

Big Business

Percentage of Fairtrade Ingredients

Fees

Local vs Fairtrade

Supply

Encourages consumerism

Branding

• Oxfam
• Nestle
• Green and Black's