We are committed to measuring the impact of Fairtrade and communicate it transparently. We regularly synthesise the results from research and monitoring to develop a better understanding of our impact and integrate these learnings into our strategy and decision-making. Our collective insights inform our joint work with producers to develop innovative solutions to the challenges they face.

Our monitoring, evaluation and learning efforts include:

• Regular monitoring of certified producer organisations,
• specific Fairtrade project and programme evaluations,
• in-depth studies by external researchers,
• sharing information and analyses with producers for validation and to create shared learnings.

Read more: Fairtrade International MEL programme – Public System Report (2024)

A commitment to transparency

We publish the results of our annual monitoring data collection, our commissioned evaluation research, and other relevant reports. We also share our research in progress.

Visit our library to access these publications or browse our key data section for the latest monitoring data. You can find information on specific projects on our impact map.

For any questions or feedback on our monitoring, evaluation and learning work, please contact impact@fairtrade.net.

How we conduct and use research

We regularly commission outcome and impact evaluations on various products and topics. These are led by independent research institutions with expertise in researching the effects of certification. We also collaborate in other ways with external research institutions to support research into topics of interest to us. Whenever Fairtrade commissions research, we ask researchers to follow the Fairtrade research ethics policy to assure that our ethical principles are respected.

Wherever possible, we publish the full results of evaluation research to support wider knowledge and understanding of the Fairtrade impact and to hold ourselves accountable to where we need to improve.

External research

Fairtrade is one of the most researched certification systems, yet there are still many topics that need further exploration. We maintain a Fairtrade research for learning agenda that lists our highest-priority topics, and we encourage external researchers to work with us on these topics if they are of interest. If you are a researcher who is planning new research on Fairtrade, we would love to know more about your research plans. Please get in touch by emailing impact [at] fairtrade.net.

Student research

Research students at the secondary, undergraduate, masters and PhD levels regularly contact Fairtrade International, national Fairtrade organisations and Fairtrade producer networks to request support with their research assignments.

High quality work by research students can potentially provide an effective way for Fairtrade to learn more about less-frequently studied products and origins, or specific aspects of Fairtrade’s thematic areas. However, we must carefully weigh the projected gain of research projects against limited staff and financial resources.

All research engagements with students are guided by our student research policy. If, after reviewing the policy, you believe that you fulfil the criteria for engagement, please submit a one-page research summary to student research@fairtrade.net.