Few days ago in London I had the chance to interview Rachel Hearson, Account Manager
of Fairtrade Foundation UK about the topic of fair trade.
FR: How have environmental standards been covered by Fair Trade standards? Which is the difference between “sustainability” and “fair trade”?
RH: Fair trade is part of the broader concept of sustainability and focuses on the start of the supply chain, especially on the needs of small farmers.
Fair trade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world.
FR: What is Fairtrade Foundation and its mission?
RH: The Fairtrade Foundation is the independent non-profit organisation that licenses use of the FAIRTRADE Mark on products in the UK in accordance with internationally agreed Fairtrade standards.
The Foundation was established in 1992 and is the UK member of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO), which unites 21 labelling initiatives across Europe, Japan, North America, Mexico and Australia/New Zealand as well as networks of producer organisations from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Our mission is to work with businesses, community groups and individuals to improve the trading position of producer organisations in the South and to deliver sustainable livelihoods for farmers, workers and their communities by –
• being a passionate and ambitious development organisation committed to tackling poverty and injustice through trade
• using certification and product labelling, through the FAIRTRADE Mark, as a tool for our development goals
• bringing together producers and consumers in a citizens’ movement for change
• being recognised as the UK’s leading authority on Fairtrade
The cotton issue was introduced in 2005 with the idea to have impact firstly on the cotton farmers, then on the producers.
Watch the video-interview:
