In an era defined by complexity and uncertainty, a heartening trend emerges: people from diverse corners of the globe unite to address shared challenges and promote fairness for people and planet. At Fairtrade, we are a part of this, and as we enter the new year we have a renewed focus on driving growth through innovation. This means smarter solutions that address environmental sustainability, human rights due diligence, harnessing data and building stronger partnership and awareness to build a fairer world.

2024 opens up with a desire to drive change through collaboration. Bringing producers and businesses closer together to establish fair market practices. Fairtrade remains a strong partner to do so.

Here are the five things you can expect from Fairtrade in 2024:

1. Fostering growth and innovation

We will keep building on our partnerships with businesses across the world to drive impact for producers around the areas of living income, living wages, human rights and environment within our staple products such as bananas and coffee.

2. Increasing our impact through digital integration

We will leverage technology to enhance audit data transparency throughout supply chains. We are working on innovative digital technologies to provide consumers with detailed information about the journey of their Fairtrade certified products, offering greater visibility into the production process and supply chain.

3. Shifting the balance of power through programmes

We will launch targeted programmes in collaboration with businesses and producers on sustainable agriculture projects, social equity, and human rights and environmental due diligence systems across Fairtrade certified farms in Africa, Latin America, North Asia and the Pacific Region.

4. Promoting commercial value with a responsibility lens

Our commercial strategy is to foster fair and ethical trade practices, ensuring that farmers and workers receive fair compensation for their products. This needs to be done via collaboration with businesses, consumers, and other stakeholders to create a more equitable global trade system. This year, we will focus on streamlining standards, strengthening business and customer relationships, launching new services to market, and building business collaboration for development.

5. Building collective action for social justice through advocacy and partnerships

Through our diverse network of policy platforms, we intend to unite market players and producers, addressing trade barriers and improving livelihoods throughout the supply chain. This will in turn also drive investment commitments from both parties and development partners. Especially, we will work closely with our South and North markets to dialogue and develop the best models and partnerships needed to comply with EU legislations. We will prioritise on what we deem needed to drive stronger social, economic and commercial value and impact for our producers, businesses and markets. It is critical producers are heard and we will keep pushing for them to be present in high level forums such as COP29.

As we continue our mission to create a fairer and more sustainable world through ethical trade, the anticipated developments in 2024 promise positive changes. From technological advancements to community-focused initiatives, we remain at the forefront of promoting a global trade system that benefits farmers, workers, and consumers alike.

Stay tuned for these exciting developments as we pave the way for a brighter and more equitable future.