A pilot is a structured way of testing a new idea in a specific environment with the aim of improving how Fairtrade impacts farmers and workers. They usually affect the scope of the Fairtrade Standards and/or the certification process.

We take changes in our standards seriously and both thorough research as well as consultation is required, but it is often preferred to also conduct a trial of the change introduced in practice at a reduced scale, so that risks are easier to mitigate. A Fairtrade Pilot refers to this entire process: from the refinement of the idea to improve the Fairtrade Standards or certification, crosschecking how this new change works in reality, and finally evaluating its outcomes.

In short: Fairtrade can develop and safely try out new ideas related to the Standards that seem promising in terms of growing and improving Fairtrade’s positive impact on producers and their communities.

First, a Fairtrade employee can submit a pilot application, which is then reviewed, and consulted on, by the Pilot Facilitator (as defined in the Fairtrade Standards Unit), to draft a pilot proposal.

The Oversight Committee (composed of representatives of Fairtrade producer networks, Fairtrade traders, national Fairtrade organisations and FLOCERT) reviews the proposal and can green-light the pilot, but they can also require further improvements before taking final decision on the proposal.

Further fine-tuning and research takes place to define targets and an implementation plan for the pilot. It is ready to go!

During the pilot phase, progress is continuously monitored to allow risk mitigation, if needed.

Final evaluation against set targets.

The results of that evaluation are then presented to the Oversight Committee which will review and endorse recommendations on how to proceed with the pilot.

• Objective: This pilot aims to establish a long-term sourcing relationship between the retailer and producers. Through this partnership, there will be focused investment into living wages, climate resilience, community and human rights. This follows consultations with farmers and workers, that involves them establishing and agreeing the priority areas where they wish to target their Fairtrade Premium investment.
• Commodities/product: Fresh bananas
• Regional Scope: Bananas grown in Central & South America, and in West Africa
• Duration: 1 year

• Objective: Potatoes are shipped in large containers and sorting and packing only takes place close to the supermarket. Demand for Fairtrade potato of a certain quality and size is communicated regularly by the supermarket and based on this demand it is decided which proportion of the Fairtrade eligible potatoes, that are produced according to the Fairtrade Standards, will be sold as Fairtrade. For the volume sold as Fairtrade, the Fairtrade Premium is paid to the producer, after the sales transactions took place. This process is called retro-certification. The pilot aims at maximizing the volume of potatoes sold as Fairtrade certified and at increasing the frequency of Fairtrade Premium payments to the producer. The pilot also aims to generate learnings around the retro-certification of potatoes, which may benefit a future review of the Fairtrade Standard for Fresh Vegetables.
• Commodities/products: Potato
• Regional scope: Produced in Egypt to be sold in Switzerland
• Duration: Two years
• Learn more on the Impact Map: Pilot potato retro-certification

• Objective: A new and quicker mechanism to establish Fairtrade prices for coconut in Côte d'Ivoire to match producers’ needs and realities.
• Commodities/products: Coconut for processing
• Regional scope: Produced in Côte d'Ivoire to be sold in Switzerland
• Duration: Three years
• Learn more on our Impact Map: Coconut for processing: pricing for impact

• Objective: The pilot aims at establishing more Fairtrade textile supply chains that connect workers in India with German consumers. Many companies are involved in the textile supply chains. Among these, some make only a very small contribution to a Fairtrade product, such as adding small embroidery. These companies are sometimes not interested in certification because the costs associated to it are high compared to the value of their services. As a result, this prevents a product from being Fairtrade certified, though the company’s contribution is small. To remedy this situation, such companies do not have to follow the social requirements of the Fairtrade Textile Standard, but can instead rely on another indicator testifying to their social conditions. This is only allowed for subcontracted companies representing less than 5 percent of the product value. All other actors in the supply chain are subject to the Textile Standard in full. This ensures that most workers benefit from a complete Fairtrade audit.
  
• Commodities/products: Textile products
• Regional scope: Produced in India to be sold in Germany
• Duration: Four years
• Learn more on our Impact Map: Pilot project textiles

• Objective: The pilot aims at developing a certification and labelling scheme for commodities produced by French farmers who struggle to generate a decent income from their work. Milk and wheat are targeted, as those supply chains include farmers that are very vulnerable, and they could be combined with Fairtrade certified ingredients, such as cocoa, sugar or vanilla.
• Commodities/products: Milk and wheat
• Regional scope: France
• Duration: Six years
• Learn more on our Impact Map: Pilot project French North-North fair trade

• Objective: The pilot project of Fairtrade Germany and toom Baumarkt aims to broaden the range and quantity of potted plants sold under Fairtrade terms to increase the Fairtrade Premium benefits. In the pilot project, processes are simplified for nurseries in Germany and the Netherlands that finish cultivating the plants from Fairtrade young plants. These nurseries no longer have to be Fairtrade certified and can mix in the production of Fairtrade plants with conventional plants. However, only the quantity that was sourced as cuttings under Fairtrade conditions can be sold as Fairtrade certified. This is verified by the independent certifier FLOCERT. In addition to the regular Fairtrade Premium, toom Baumarkt pays an extra premium of one euro cent per Fairtrade plant purchased for the workers on the Fairtrade certified cuttings farms.
• Commodities/products: Potted plants
• Regional scope: Production of seedlings in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Costa Rica and sold in Germany
• Duration: Three and half years
• Learn more on our Impact Map: Pilot project young plants