Fair trade Flashcards
WHy do we need certifications?
• Our food system is the leading cause of climate change and other environmental problems such as biodiversity loss
• Our food system is full of social and economic injustices that continue to exploit and oppress millions of people
• Supply chains for most commodities are not
transparent and hard to trace
__ are often the best
way we can determine the actual sustainability of products
Certifications are often the best
way we can determine the actual sustainability of products
What are some of the challenges of certifications and ecolabels?
- Not all certifications & ecolabels are the same: some are more reliable and rigorous than others
- May be used for greenwashing and prone to corruption
- May be expensive and favor richer producers & businesses over poorer ones
- Depends on consumerism; doesn’t confront the problems of capitalism and consumerism
What is a 3rd party certification?
A third-party certification is any certification that is given to companies or farms based on an outside panel of standards and reviewers. It must be independent from the entity being certified, and involves regular audits.
What is B certification?
Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.
Fairtrade vs fair trade
“Fairtrade” refers only to Fairtrade organizations (such as Fairtrade Canada) or products certified through the Fairtrade International system
On the other hand, “Fair trade” can refer to many different things – the fair trade movement, fair trade products generally (which can include handicrafts), products that claim to be fairly traded but do not carry the FAIRTRADE Mark .
Where most of the fair trade products grown?
global south
What are the criteria for fair trade certification?
- No child labor or forced labor
- Minimum Price- stock market fluctuates. Fairtrade ensure that it wont go below certain price even though the stock market is lower than the min. price
- Fairtrade Premium
• Must be reinvested into social or environmental development initiatives (ex. fresh water pumps) - Organization into farmer coops- (No individual farm)
- Other support to help farmers move towards sustainable or organic practices
What is flocert & co?
Auditors are being audited
FLOCERT is the independent third-party certification
body that audits farmers, workers, traders and
companies to ensure they comply with the international
Fairtrade Standards.
Fair Trade Designations
What is the purpose?
to increase awareness of fair trade and demand for Fairtrade products, as well as have policies institutionalizing the use of Fairtrade
Fair Trade Campus Requirements (baseline)
- Steering Committee
- Education & Outreach
- Product Availability
a) ALL coffee served* on campus must be certified Fairtrade
*served by food services, admin, student unions, student
societies
b) Wherever tea is served, at least 3 Fairtrade tea options must be available
c) Wherever chocolate is sold, at least 1 Fairtrade chocolate option must be available
Benefits of being certified for large for seller companies?
• Differentiate your business or institution from others • Potential to increase sales/popularity through building a good reputation]• - Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
What are the requirements for fair trade events/?
1) product availability
2) Commitment form partners- organizers nust work with partners and local advocacy groups to educate about fair trade during the event and serve Fairtrade certified products
3) Promotion and awareness- the event must be promotes using print and digital materials to engage participants and the media
