“The unique thing about Fairtrade and Fairtrade Certification is that everyone in the supply chain has to adhere to a set of standards and are also audited by an independent organisation(FLO-Cert)” Fair Trade aims to supply a respectful and helpful trading relationship with developing countries (usualaly in the South), and seeks greater equity in international trade. It works on helping labourers by offering better trading conditions and protecting workers rights, as well as promoting production that has both a sustainable cost of production, and is ethical.

When we buy Fairtrade coffee, we instantly feel good about the fact that we paid that little bit extra to help reduce the amount of poverty and the abuse of workers’ rights in developing countries. But are we really getting what we paid for? How can we be sure that a fairtrade label ensures that no abuse or exploitation has occurred in the production of our purchased product? What is fairtrade? Are fairtrade standards as great as they’re made out to be? Who advertises as a fairtrade supplier? Do companies have this information readily available to the public? What does this say about their standards?

Although the fairtrade brand guarantees that the product has been ethically sourced, it does not guarantee that throughout other steps in the process (such as shipping and transportation of goods) there is any assurance that there are fair or ethical procedures for the workers or the environment. Fairtrade focuses purely on the producers and harvesters of the coffee beans. There are regular checks into the production of fairtrade products to avoid any corruption, although sometimes there are situations where fairtrade standards are not followed...

“There are also problems with some supermarkets..there are instances where some have added even more to their margins, knowing the customer thinks all the extra is going to the producer. Next..guess what? They audit the foreign producers...but make few checks on the importers....if you (as I did) work in the UK for an importer..they don`t care how you are treated. I find this a little racist...why NOT check the whole chain..WHY just the producers? Perhaps though, my biggest criticism...and this is from very personal expereince...is that some importers and labellers have too much power over the producers.. I know of one well-publicised `exemplary` case set as an example, where the producers are now bust and out of business, after 15 years held back by a controlling importer in this country that insisted on exclusivity..they couldn`t sell to anyone else. There should be checks on REAL progress every 5 years or so, to see that the producers really are moving forward, in capacity and ability to stand alone.” - Extract from Blog by Beechnut (Worked for Fairtrade company)

Companies such as Robert Harris STARBUCKS, EQUIRES, and N ESCAFE and all advertise the luxury of fairtrade coffee, but what does this really mean? Are they putting us under a false sense of security by showing us that some of their products are fairtrade? Are we more likely to buy their brand even if the product is not fairtrade because we subconsciously think that they are socially and environmentally responsible?

In 1997 a consumer study (by TransFair-USA) showed that 49 % of coffee drinkers surveyed said they would buy Fair Trade coffee “Over 60% of existing purchasers are likely to recommend Fairtrade to friends and colleagues” (Fair Trade Foundation).Fair Trade Foundation These increasing numbers can say only good things for Fair Trade’s progress.”

I contacted a number of coffee suppliers to see if they could supply me with information about the process involved in their fairtrade. Not one store could provide me with information about the entire process involved in the production of their coffee. Surely if they had such information they would use it as positive advertising... Is there something they’re not telling us? Maybe the full truth about the fairtrade procedure, for some products, is that there is either not enough research on the company's part into their own production, or they are simply neglecting to tell us about it...?

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Morning Claire, Great to hear from you, I like the sound of your project and you are clearly interested in knowing all the details! I’ve attached two producer profiles for you to look at: they show the benefits of the Fairtrade system in the community (and in particular how the community used the Fairtrade Premium). Feminino Co-op is about the impact Fairtrade has on empowering women (if you know anything about the Millennium Development Goals set by the UN you’ll know that the empowerment of women is key to getting out of poverty). The second tells you more about PNG – a country in the pacific that is very interesting. The unique thing about Fairtrade and Fairtrade Certification is that everyone in the supply chain has to adhere to a set of standards and are also audited by an independent organisation(FLO-Cert) – this is to ensure that corruption and exploitation does not happen (and if it does, there are sanctions in place to stop it from happening again). You’re right in that Fairtrade does try to reduce the amount of people in the supply chain so that buyers in the West (like NZ) can have a more direct relationship with their suppliers (ie the farmers), but as Fairtrade deals with some of the world’s poorest the farmer groups often rely on the ‘middle men’ or the exporters to help them get their crop or product to market. This is why everyone in the supply chain has to meet standards and have to report on their activities with Fairtrade farmers. There’s a presentation online that goes through all the different aspects of the Fairtrade System: if you look on the right hand side you’ll see Fairtrade ANZ presentation. Have a look through that – there are a few graphs and some helpful diagrams too. As for Fairtrade’s focus, it is with working with developing-world country farmers and producers to get a better deal through international trade. Western countries (America, Europe, ANZ etc) have systems in place for workers in these countries which protects them from companies exploiting them – ie Unions, benefits etc. If you want to know more about the actual standards (there are lots of them and quite detailed) then go to the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation website: they, along with the farmers and other NGOs, write the standards that everyone must adhere to: I think you can search by country or by product. Re Starbucks: although they are a multinational giant they are the single largest purchaser of Fairtrade Certified beans. Which has now increased as every Starbucks throughout Europe (inc UK) is now 100% Fairtrade. Anything else, please do ask and if there is anything you don’t understand. Julia Campbell Education and Community Liaison Officer

Slide-show provided for me by Julia Campbell, Education and Community Liaison Officer of the Fair Trade Organisation, via .