Fair Trade Labeling

The fair trade market is regulated by several international and national organizations which apply independent certification fair trade standards at each step of the commercial supply chain. The international organizations include:

• Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO)-This organization has overall responsibility for developing fairtrade standards, supporting producers and operating global certification and auditing systems. FLO is based in Bonn, Germany and has two separate divisions: FLO International eV includes 23 member organizations. FLO International develops and reviews international fairtrade standards and assists producers in taking advantage of market opportunities. FLO-CERT coordinates the tasks and information related to the inspection and certification of producers and traders. It operates independently and follows the standards of the International Organization of Standardization (ISO). This what the FLO mark looks like:

• World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO)- This organization is the global representative body of over 350 organizations committed to 100% Fair Trade.
  The WFTO operates in 70 countries across 5 regions; Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North American and the Pacific Rim, with elected global and regional boards, to create market access through policy, advocacy, campaigning, marketing and monitoring. It is the only global network whose members represent the Fair Trade chain from production to sale. This is what the WFTO mark looks like:

In North America, there are three organizations that apply and regulate fairtrade standards. They are:

• TransfairCanada-This national organization is a non-profit fair trade certifier and the only Canadian member of FLO International. TransFair Canada is responsible for certification of Canadian products bearing the fair trade mark and making sure those products meet international fair trade standards. They also license the companies in Canada that put the fair trade mark on their products and insure that the use of the mark by these companies is genuine and does not mislead the public. TransFair Canada also works alongside community groups, companies and individuals to promote and educate the public about fair trade products through campaigns, promotional materials, events and the media. Their mark looks like this:

• TransFair USA-This nonprofit organization, is one of twenty members of FLO, and the only third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States. TransFair USA audits transactions between US companies offering Fair Trade Certified™ products and the international suppliers from whom they source. They also help to guarantee that the farmers and farm workers that produce the fair trade certified goods are paid a fair price that is above the market what the market is paying. In addition, annual inspections conducted by FLO ensure that strict fair trade standards are being met and that the small farmers in developing countries are able to capitalize on market opportunities. Their fair trade mark looks like this:

• Fair Trade Federation-This organization is the North American trade association of retailers and wholesalers who are fully committed to fair trade principles, regardless of what product they sell. They are part of the global fair trade movement, helping to promote and strengthen equitable and sustainable trading partnerships between people in the developing world and those in developed countries by creating opportunities to alleviate poverty. Their fair trade mark looks like this:

There are several other third party certifiers, but these are the best known and the ones that you can trust.