Fairtrade advocates for policies that make trade fair
To truly change global trade, farmers and workers must be at the heart of policy-making around the world. Through Fairtrade advocacy, they make their voices heard and can influence public policies.
Fairtrade plays an important role in making supply chains fairer. But certification alone cannot address the power imbalances of today’s market system. This is why we're pushing for long-term political change towards
- fairer and more sustainable trade practices
- production systems that are characterised by agroecological practices,
- sustainable livelihoods,
- fair prices,
- responsible business practices,
- and climate resilience.
And who knows best how to address issues that affect those who produce food, clothes and other commodities? Farmers and workers! Which is why Fairtrade advocacy is shaped by their diverse views and needs. Each of the three Fairtrade producer networks have regional advocacy strategies and aim to influence relevant national legislation, delegations of Fairtrade farmers and workers regularly make their voices heard at high level events, and young Fairtrade farmers receive training to build their skills as leaders and advocates.
And since we're stronger together, we do our advocacy work in partnership with other organisations: For instance, we’re a member of the Climate Action Network, and the Farmers’ Constituency. We lobby together with other voluntary sustainability systems and are a member of ISEAL. Most of our EU advocacy work is done in collaboration with the Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO) in Brussels.
Here's what we do in practice:
- Monitor and influence policy and legislative processes in the EU and worldwide.
- Partner with UN bodies and participate in relevant global events
- Engage with policy-makers.
- Build alliances with civil society organisations and other partners, and take part in multi-stakeholders initiatives.
What we want: Fairtrade’s advocacy goals.
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Inclusive, participatory, and social policies that benefit smallholder farmers and workers in countries where we operate
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Policy reforms that protect human and environmental rights in global supply chains
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Stopping unfair trading practices
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Fair prices that cover the costs of sustainable production and make living incomes and living wages possible
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Reducing barriers to access finance
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An enabling environment for Fair Trade
"Many things are happening on the farms and our political leaders are not aware. We often have policies made, but they do not directly come to the farmer, they stay policies up there. The best way to fight climate change and other challenges is by directly including the farmers."
-Peter Koech, Kapkiyai Cooperative, Kenya
Fairtrade calls for a Global Green Deal
To be fair for everyone, we believe that Europe's green transition should go global and acknowledge the interconnectedness of consumer demands in the EU and production outside of it. The current set of policy initiatives under the European Green Deal is hard to implement for farmers and risks to cause environmentally and socially harmful impacts in producing countries outside the EU, rather than tackling inequality and poverty. We strongly believe that environmental policies can only work if they are rooted in the realities of farmers, workers, small and medium enterprises, and consumers.
We’re asking the EU to transform the EU Green Deal into a Global Green Deal by:
- Boosting long-term finance for smallholder farmers.
- Pursuing a just transition strategy that allows farmers to work towards compliance.
- Reforming EU trade policies with smallholder farmers in mind.
- Enabling Fair Trade to play a role in trade policies.
- Transforming the EU economic model.
EU legislation
A growing number of binding sustainability laws applies to those selling Fairtrade products into and within the EU. Find out how we support producer organisations and guide businesses in working towards compliance.
Find out more here
Resources
Global Green Deal joint call to action (2024)
Fairtrade’s sustainable agriculture policy (2023)
COP28 Fair Trade Movement position paper (2023)
Recommendations from the cocoa producers summit in Abidjan (May 2023)
Webinar: Between markets and regulations - the quest for fair food pricing. (May 2024)
Webinar: What role can voluntary standards play in the context of supply chain laws? (November 2023)
Fairtrade advocates for farmers and workers to co-design the political decisions that affect their rights, businesses and livelihoods. We call on policy makers, civil society organisations, and citizens to join us in making sure their challenges are being addressed. Together we can make fair food systems a reality!