19
How do I know it’s Fairtrade?
Fairtrade/
Organic
Utz Certified, etc.
‘If you want Fairtrade,
4Cs
there’s just one way to
be sure you get it: look for
the FAIRTRADE Mark on
Without sustainability programme
the product. It’s the only
independent
guarantee’
Fairtrade and other labelling organisations
BOB Geldof said: “If you have a choice of cof- various initiatives, it may help to see things
fee, tea or any other product, buy the prod- as a pyramid. At the top of the pyramid are
uct with the FAIRTRADE Mark.” products with the FAIRTRADE Mark. This
Lots of companies make claims about enables consumers to choose sustainable
their ethical credentials. But how do you products that guarantee a better deal for
know it’s Fairtrade? The answer is simple: producers from developing countries and
look for the FAIRTRADE Mark! signal the need for change. Products with
Most people do their shopping in their the FAIRTRADE Mark give producers the
local supermarkets, not in specialist shops. best deal and lead the way in addressing
And that’s why the FAIRTRADE Mark was social and environmental problems in cof-
invented. It is an independent guarantee fee, tea and other sectors.
that the goods with this mark comply with In the middle of the pyramid are the
international Fairtrade standards. This corporate social responsibility (CSR) pro-
means the producers — usually small grammes. Examples include the Utz Cert-
farmers and plantation workers — get a ified scheme for sustainable coffee, cocoa
guaranteed price and an extra payment for and tea and Rainforest Alliance certification
community development (the Fairtrade for a range of agricultural products. With
premium) as well as access to credit and CSR, a company takes responsibility for eth-
training. The system is constantly reviewed ical sourcing of its products; customers do
and independently audited. The FAIR- not have to choose. Companies fulfil their
TRADE Mark is awarded to individual prod- social responsibilities for their whole
ucts, not to companies as a whole. product line (not just niche products) in the
They say imitation is the sincerest form belief their customers will appreciate this
of flattery. In the past few years, as a result and consumer loyalty to their brands and
of the success of Fairtrade, there are now products will increase. For example, Douwe
several other labelling schemes such as Egberts — one of the world’s largest coffee
Utz Certified and Rainforest Alliance. companies — has decided all of its coffee
Increasingly, companies are discovering will be Utz Certified over the next few years.
that consumers will not take their word At the bottom of the pyramid are new
that their products are ethical; they want developments such as commodity round
independent confirmation of this. tables. Examples of these are the round
We are often asked what we think of tables on sustainable palm oil and soya and
these schemes. The first answer is: they are the Common Code for the Coffee
not Fairtrade. If you want Fairtrade, there’s Community (4Cs). Through these broad
just one way to be sure you get it — look for codes of conduct, sustainability is increas-
the FAIRTRADE Mark on the product. It’s the ingly being made a condition for participa-
only independent guarantee. That’s why tion in an entire sector, obliging all compa-
our organisation is called Fairtrade Mark nies to comply with minimum social and
Ireland, not Fairtrade Ireland! But, at the environmental standards. This approach
end of the day, we’re interested in making draws even the stragglers into the process
whole sectors sustainable, not in creating of making the sector sustainable: they can
niche markets. For that reason, we’re in no longer escape. The disadvantage is the
favour of anything that improves the situa- requirements are relatively low. But they
tion of producers in developing countries are better than nothing, and they begin to
and ensures sustainability. get the message across that companies can
To explain the relationship between the no longer get away with inaction.
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