Who we have standards for
At Fairtrade, we believe that one size does not fit all, which is why the Fairtrade standards are tailored to the realities of farmers, workers, and businesses in different contexts.
Standard for small-scale producer organisations
applies to farmer cooperatives and associations who supply Fairtrade products.
Hired Labour Standard
applies to large farms and plantations with a hired workforce who supply Fairtrade products.
Standard for contract production
temporarily applies to small-scale producers who are not yet democratically organised.
Trader Standard
applies to companies and traders who buy and sell Fairtrade products, and/or handle the Fairtrade Minimum Price and the Fairtrade Premium.
Textile Standard
applies to textile operators with a hired workforce processing Fairtrade cotton and/or other responsible fibres.
Gold Standard and Associated Precious Metals Standard
applies to artisanal and small-scale mining organisations and to traders buying and selling precious metals.
Climate Standard
is an add-on to Gold Standard certification with the aim to support farming communities in producing Fairtrade Carbon Credits.
How we set standards
The Fairtrade Standards are set through a transparent process with participation by farmers and workers, businesses and external experts. Learn more about the standard-setting process.
Read all
Minimum Price and Premium database
When selling their products through Fairtrade, producers can rely on the safety net of the Fairtrade Minimum Price and will receive the additional Fairtrade Premium to invest in projects of their choice. Look up prices and premiums for all products.
Read all
Control mechanisms
Standards are meaningless when nobody checks compliance – which is why Fairtrade operates a rigorous certification scheme. Compliance is checked via regular audits by the independent certifier FLOCERT. The audits involve physical inspections of fields, plants and offices as well as document and finance reviews and confidential interviews with staff members. FLOCERT is an ISO 17065-accredited enterprise and audit procedures are in line with ISEAL’s Assurance Code.
Learn more about Fairtrade certification and audits.
Fairtrade product classification
This chart will help you understand which products are covered by the different product-specific standards.
Fairtrade Geographic Scope
Fairtrade's mission is to promote fairer trading conditions for disadvantaged producers. The geographical scope policy details the countries and territories where producers are eligible for Fairtrade certification.
In order to determine which countries can be included in the geographical scope, Fairtrade considers such factors as income per capita, wealth disparity, other economic and social indicators, and Fairtrade's own ability to support producers and achieve long-term impacts.
The geographical scope is also used to identify Fairtrade pricing regions for the Fairtrade Minimum Price and Premium (see the second tab of the map below for pricing regions).
Below you can download the list of countries covered by Fairtrade, and further details on how they are selected:
EN | Fairtrade Geographical Scope Policy of Producer Certification
ES | Política del Alcance Geográfico para la Certificación de Productores de Comercio Justo Fairtrade
PT | Política de Escopo Geográfico de Certificação de Produtor para o Comércio Justo Fairtrade
Hazardous materials list
Fairtrade International maintains a Hazardous Materials List (HML) of agrochemicals (including pesticides) that can be potentially hazardous in some form or other to human and animal health as well as to the environment and therefore should be used only under caution.
The Hazardous Materials List is divided into three lists – prohibited, restricted and flagged. The current version came into force on 1 January 2018 and applies to all Fairtrade certified producers and traders trading in Fairtrade products.
Current version
EN | Fairtrade Hazardous Materials List
ES | Lista de Materiales Peligrosos de Fairtrade
FR | Liste de matières dangereuses Fairtrade
PT | Lista de Materiais Perigosos do Comércio Justo Fairtrade
Reporting templates
EN | Fairtrade HML – Reporting Templates
ES | LMP – Plantillas para informe de Fairtrade
FR | LMD – Modèle de rapport
Secondary products
Secondary products and their derivatives have been included in the scope of Fairtrade certification. For further information on the definition, pricing rules and non-exhaustive list of secondary products and their derivatives please see the Explanatory Note for Secondary Products.
EN | Explanatory note