Fairtrade

Taking lasting action against climate change by encouraging:

• the switch to organic farming, through additional income from organic produce
• the adoption of environmentally friendly farming
• the protection of natural resources
• a ban on hazardous pesticides
• a ban on genetically modified seeds

Support from the Fairtrade networks is offered to producer organisations to organise training, advisory sessions, etc.

Fairtrade ensures the long-term funding of climate projects in the Global South. The additional Fairtrade premium must be used to fund further climate projects.

Fairtrade producers come together in structured, democratic organisations or cooperatives.

Every member of the organisation has the right to take part in its decision-making process.

At Fairtrade International level, 50% of the votes in all major decisions go to small producers and workers.

Fairtrade requires every certified company or organisation that employs staff to sign its protocol on freedom of association.

These conditions, adopted in 2009, are brought together in the “Fairtrade Standard for Hired Labour”, which was supplemented in 2016 by the “Textile Standard”.

The conditions are as follows:

• Health and occupational protection
• Safety in the workplace
• Freedom to form trade unions
• Equal rights and wages for seasonal and migrant workers
• Non-discrimination
• Ban on child labour
• Ban on forced labour
• Equal pay for men and women for equal work
• Payment of legal minimum wages
• A timeline for reaching living wages

Child labour in all its forms is banned, in line with ILO conventions C138 and C182:

• children under 15 are not allowed to work.
• “working children” under 15 may only help their parents in their free time: after school, during the holidays and at weekends. This work must remain simple and safe.
• workers under 18 must not carry out hazardous or exploitative work.

Fairtrade makes a distinction between “child labourers” and “working children”. Working children are children whose activity, often seen as helping their parents on the farm, does not stop them from going to school, does not harm their health or development, and does not put them in physical or moral danger.

Fairtrade runs awareness campaigns to protect children and acts as an adviser to producer organisations.

In countries with a high risk of child labour, producer organisations must set up internal monitoring systems to minimise this risk.

When a violation is found, measures to protect the children affected are put in place immediately. All producer organisations must report any violation of the Fairtrade Standards.

Producer organisations can use the Fairtrade premium to improve access to schools and their facilities, or to offer pupils scholarships.

Producer organisations must follow these rules:

• No pregnancy tests for women workers before hiring
• No discrimination against anyone on the basis of sex or family status
• All forms of harassment, sexual harassment, sexual abuse or exploitation are banned
• Social benefits, social protection and maternity protection are rights
• Disadvantaged groups must be identified and programmes put in place to support their economic and social development

A minimum price is set in advance for goods. So if market prices fall, small producer organisations still receive the agreed minimum price.

Every small producer organisation receives a Fairtrade premium and decides democratically how to use it and which community projects it goes to...

If needed, the buyer must be able to pre-finance 60% of the agreed volumes

If needed, the Fairtrade premium can also be used as pre-financing