Fair Trade criteria
The criteria, as defined by the Fair Trade movement and recalled in the 2006 European Parliament report are;
- a fair producer price, guaranteeing a fair wage, covering the costs of sustainable production and living. This price needs to be at least as high as the Fair Trade minimum price and premium where they have been defined by the international Fair Trade associations;
- part payments to be made in advance if so requested by the producer;
- long-term, stable relations with producers and producers' involvement in Fair Trade standard setting;
- transparency and traceability throughout the supply chain to guarantee appropriate consumer information;
- conditions of production respecting the eight International Labour Organization (ILO) Core Conventions;
- respect for the environment, protection of human rights and in particular women's and children's rights and respect for traditional production methods which promote economic and social development;
- capacity building and empowerment for producers, particularly small-scale and marginalised producers and workers in developing countries, their organisations as well as the respective communities, in order to ensure the sustainability of Fair Trade;
- support for production and market access for the producer organisations;
- awareness-raising activities about Fair Trade production and trading relationships, the mission and aims of Fair Trade and about the prevailing injustice of international trade rules;
- monitoring and verification of compliance with these criteria, in which southern organisations must play a greater role, leading to reduced costs and increased local participation in the certification process;
- regular impact assessments of the Fair Trade activities.
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