>
Why does FLO exist?
> What are FLO’s main tasks?
> How was Fairtrade labelling created?
> How does FLO Certification work?
> What are the Fairtrade Standards?
> What is the Impact of
Fairtrade Labelling?
> How can we become certified as a Fairtrade Producer
Group?
> How can we import products from Fairtrade certified
Producer Groups?
> How can we sell Fairtrade
labelled products in our shops?
> Why do so many different Fairtrade labels
exist?
> Where can we buy Fairtrade labelled Products?
> What is the difference between Fair Trade and
ethical trade?
> Why are there not more
types of Fairtrade labelled products?
> How have the Fairtrade minimum prices been
established?
Why does FLO
exist?
See ”Why does FLO exist” in ABOUT
FLO
> BACK TO TOP
What are FLO’s
main tasks?
See ”FLO’s Main tasks”
in ABOUT FLO
> BACK TO TOP
How was Fairtrade labelling
created?
Fair trade as such has existed for over 40 years. It started as
a partnership between non-profit importers and retailers in the
North and small-scale producers in developing countries, who at
the same as struggling against low market prices and high dependence
on intermediaries, were looking for direct outlets into the European
market. Over the years, more and more alternative trade organisations
(ATO's) were created in different countries, often closely related
to world shops being established by groups of volunteers. These
ATO's set up networks of 'world shops', that were not only selling
products of disadvantaged producers from developing countries, but
also informing people about the current trade system, where small
scale producers find it extremely difficult to survive. The same
ATO's are still very important in 'informing the public', but unfortunately
they do not always reach the mass market of supermarket shoppers.
This led to the birth, eleven years ago, of the concept of a Fairtrade
Label. The Fairtrade Label's main aim for products is to be sold
in supermarkets as well as in the world shops, since the fair trade
products can be distinguished from conventional ones through the
Fairtrade Label.
Fairtrade Labelling started in the Netherlands, where coffee was
the first labelled product. The Dutch label is called 'Max Havelaar',
after a best-selling 19th century book about the exploitation of
Javanese coffee plantation workers by Dutch colonial merchants.
After this first initiative, other national Fairtrade labellers
soon followed, some using the same name, others introducing new
names, like TransFair, Fairtrade Foundation and Rättvisemarkt.
At present, there are 20 Fairtrade Labelling Initiatives under one
umbrella organisation, FLO-International. There are Fairtrade Labels
on dozens of different products, based on FLO’s certification
for coffee, tea, rice, bananas, mangoes, cocoa, sugar, honey, fruit
juices and footballs. FLO is constantly expanding and should soon
include other fresh fruit, wines, nuts, oils and in the years
to come more non-food products as well.
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How does FLO Certification
work?
See ”Explanation
of Fairtrade Certification” in CERTIFICATION
> BACK TO TOP
What are the Fairtrade
Standards?
See ”Fairtrade Standards
in general” in STANDARDS
> BACK TO TOP
What is the Impact
of Fairtrade Labelling?
See IMPACT
> BACK TO TOP
How can we become
certified as a Fairtrade Producer Group?
If you are part of a Producer organisation interested
in becoming Fairtrade certified, please read the Fairtrade Standards
on our website. If you think your organisation can meet the Standards,
you can contact FLO at certification@flo-cert.net.
In this mail, indicate your interest and inform FLO about the following
points:
• What type of legal entity is your organisations? (Is it
an Association or a Cooperative or a Company, etc)
• Number of members and /or workers your organisation
has and how they participate in the decision taking
process.
• Market position; if you currently export, please indicate
where to and how.
• Product type/variety, quality and quantity available for
export:
• Is (part of your) production certified by an organic certification
body?
When FLO sees that there is a Fairtrade market
potential for this product from your producer group, FLO will send
a standard questionnaire to you to know more about your organisation.
If the evaluation of the questionnaire is positive, FLO will perform
a first inspection in field. The report of that inspection visit
will be discussed by the independent Certification Committee, which
will also take the decision whether to certify or not.
In the affirmative case, the certification is formalised with the
signing of the contract by your producer group and FLO International.
In this contract the rights and obligations of both will be explained.
FLO will inform the producer group about the certification decision
in writing.
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How can we import products
from Fairtrade certified Producer Groups?
Contact FLO to get the list of certified organisations
and then contact the organisations directly. However, FLO will ask you to
sign an Importers Contract with FLO International. The purpose of
the contract is to enable FLO and its National Members to verify
that in the trading relationship, FLO Standards are met, and to
verify the chain of supply of Fairtrade Products.
For interested traders: Click >
here for more information.
> BACK TO TOP
How can we sell
Fairtrade labelled products in our shops?
If you would like to sell Fairtrade labelled products in your store
or supermarket, please contact the National Initiative in your
country. They are in charge of licensing companies in their home
country to use the Fairtrade Label on fairly traded products. You
will be asked to sign a License Agreement with this national labelling
organisation, before you can put the Fairtrade Label on the products.
> BACK TO TOP
Why do so many different
Fairtrade labels exist?
The Fairtrade Labelling system started in the Netherlands in 1989,
where coffee was the first labelled product. The Dutch label is
called 'Max Havelaar', after a best-selling 19th century book about
the exploitation of Javanese coffee plantation workers by Dutch
colonial merchants. After this first initiative, other National
labelling Initiatives soon followed, some using the same name, others
introducing new names, like TransFair, Fairtrade Foundation and
Rättvisemarkt. They all started individually, and therefore
each defined for their market the Fairtrade Consumer Label they
wanted on the products.
In 1997, these 17 National Initiatives together founded an umbrella
organisation, FLO-International. From that moment on, the NIs and
FLO have recognised the need for a single logo for a long time,
mainly for two reasons: it increases clarity for consumers and it
makes cross-border trade easier. At the same time, the cost of introducing
a new logo, finding a Mark that works in all countries, the risk
of losing trust and awareness as the old logos disappear were complicating
a quick change to a common Mark.
This has changed with an increasing interest in Fairtrade labelling
from international companies, making cross border trade more important.
Therefore FLO has started the process of harmonising the different
Labels into one International Certification Mark by proposing the
use of this new developed Certification Mark to countries that wish
to move forwards to common approach. The new mark is now available
and it will be replacing existing labels at different speeds in
different countries.
> BACK TO TOP
Where can we buy Fairtrade
labelled Products?
If you want to know where to buy Fairtrade labelled products, you
can contact the National Initiative in your country, and check their
website or ask them directly.
> BACK TO TOP
What is the difference
between Fair Trade and ethical trade?
Ethical trading means companies are involved in a process of trying
to ensure that the basic labour rights of the employees of their
third world suppliers are respected.
Fairtrade Labelling aims to give disadvantaged small producers and
workers more control over their own lives. It addresses the injustice
of insufficient income for a decent living and insufficient market
access by guaranteeing that producers receive fair terms of trade
and fair prices or wages – however unfair the conventional
market is. On top of the Fair trade minimum price, the Fairtrade
labelling system guarantees a premium for producer organizations
or workers bodies to enable them to invest in social, economical
or environmental improvements.
> BACK TO TOP
Why
are there not more types of Fairtrade labelled products?
First of all, Fairtrade Labelling currently is only available for
producer organisations in the Southern hemisphere, limiting the
range of products to those produced in the tropical countries of
whose ingredients come from the South.
Secondly, it takes much time and money to develop Fairtrade Standards
to ensure that new Fairtrade products really will benefit producers.
The initial focus of Fairtrade was on agricultural commodities,
such as coffee and tea, which have the most widespread impact on
the livelihoods of small producers and workers in the developing
world. Since then, the scope of Fairtrade is continuously being
extended to other agricultural products, hand made and manufactured
products, maybe to textiles and clothing as well.
> BACK TO TOP
How have the Fairtrade
minimum prices been established?
FLO works with a pricing methodology, which first defines per product
and per region, where the product is produced, the Cost of sustainable
Production (CoP), and Cost of sustainable Living (CoL). FLO’s
principle is that a Fairtrade minimum price at least covers the
CoP and CoL. On top of that price, FLO establishes a premium, which
has to be invested in social, economic or environmental projects
of improvement, decided upon democratically within the organisation.
> BACK TO TOP
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