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TIP: If a story moves you, use the comment feature for that story to write a response. Dialogue is a key to growing the movement!
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Jeff
According to a report by Bloomberg News, Fairtrade International (FLO) CEO Rob Cameron has resigned. FLO is the largest certification system for Fair Trade products worldwide, accounting for around 80-90% of global retail sales of Fair Trade products. No reasons have been published yet explaining Cameron’s departure.
The Fair Trade movement is in a time of monumental change, as the U.S. branch of FLO, Fair Trade USA, is splitting from FLO as of January 1, 2012. Discussion has flourished about the direction of Fair Trade, amidst many opportunities and challenges.
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Jeff
The Fair Trade movement seems to have entered a once in 25-year time of tremendous change. As the dominant certification system experiences its first major split since its founding in 1988, producers, businesses, and other advocates continue to debate the direction of Fair Trade, differences between Fair Trade USA and Fairtrade International, and the very essence of Fair Trade. Some of the most relevant, recent online comments to date include: (more…)
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Jeff
With Fair Trade experiencing monumental change in the past few months, committed stakeholders in N. America have started a dialogue initiative to clarify the direction for the Fair Trade movement in N. America with the goal of upholding its benefits for marginalized producers around the world. The initiative, called the N. America Fair Trade Stakeholder Council, will begin with around 40-50 nonprofits, advocacy organizations, committed companies, producer/farmer/worker groups, academics and others, who will hold conference calls and email discussions over several months before attending an in-person summit April 30 – May 2, 2012. Fair Trade Resource Network (FTRN), Fair World Project (FWP), and Domestic Fair Trade Association (DFTA) comprise the Organizing Committee leading the initiative. At present, the Council seeks to advance these 4 goals:
- Define fair trade and the movement, what they are and what they are not
- Organize the North American fair trade movement under a coordinated infrastructure with a common vision
- Reach agreement on a plan for cooperation and accountability within the movement
- Develop a clear external message for the movement
As the Council gets more organized and more momentum, it intends to periodically share its major ideas & highlights with the public, and to occasionally invite public comment. In balancing efficiency with inclusiveness and transparency, the Council intends to maintain open, clear and transparent communication channels with stakeholders in other organizations, as well as other producer and consumer regions, to collaborate as much as possible.
Please follow updates at FTRN’s N. America Fair Trade Stakeholder Council page
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Jeff
Independent research commissioned by the Fairtrade Foundation (the UK labeling initiative of FLO, Fairtrade International) and carried out by the Institute of Development Studies (at the University of Sussex) assessed the impact of Fairtrade on banana producers in the Windward Islands (Caribbean nations of the West Indies), Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Ghana. In short, the impacts for small farmers as well as hired labor on plantations are complicated. The study used qualitative research methods for several case studies during 2009-2011.
The study includes 3 banana coops and 3 banana plantations located in 4 different countries (coops in Dominican Republic, Winward Islands, and Ecuador; plantations in DR, Ecuador, and Ghana). It also includes a value chain analysis of the UK banana market. The report is the outcome of interviews with 107 small producers, 116 workers and numerous focus group discussions with workers’ committees and Joint Bodies within these case studies. To understand practices along the banana value chain, interviews were also carried out with importers, ripening companies and retailers that trade in Fairtrade bananas in the UK. The study itself is 160 pages.
Read the summary and Fairtrade Foundation response
Read the full IDS report
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Jeff
On The Ground, in partnership with the Palestinian Fair Trade Association, is thrilled to announce a new, philanthropic event, The Run Across Palestine, (RAP) for February 2012. The event will raise funds and awareness for the fair trade olive farmers of Palestine.
Funds raised from RAP will have several immediate impacts including purchasing and planting thousands of olive trees, and provide scholarships for the children of Palestinian olive farmers. All this is designed to reestablish sustainable olive growing practices in a place who’s history, economy, culture, and identity is rooted in the ancient olive tree.
More at Run Across Palestine
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Jeff
Fair Trade Resource Network (FTRN) announces the 3rd webinar in a series for the public to discuss implications and ask questions about the Fair Trade USA split from Fairtrade International (FLO). FLO Board Member and Chair of Fairtrade Canada, John Kay, (who replaced CEO Rob Cameron as the panelist) is the panelist on December 16, 12:00-12:50 pm eastern, with more details below.
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Jeff
Academics Daniel Jaffee and Philip Howard recently published insightful graphics and data to illustrate updated data on some top businesses by the amount of Fair Trade coffee purchased, and by the % of Fair Trade Coffee purchased. Some key points include:
- Out of the top 10 world coffee roasters, 4 purchased some Fair Trade in 2008: Starbucks (19.9 M lbs.), Tchibo (12.1 M lbs.), Nestle (4.4 M lbs.) and J.M. Smucker (3.3 M lbs.). Fair Trade made up 0.003% to 5% of each of those companies coffee purchases.
- Among U.S. coffee roasters involved in Fair Trade, the percentage of their coffee purchases in 2010 made as Fair Trade ranged from 100% to to 0.5%, with volumes ranging from 0.1 to 21.3 M lbs.
- Starbucks, the largest purchaser of Fair Trade coffee in the world up until 2010, saw its volume of Fair Trade coffee purchases increase every year from2004 to 2009, before declining almost 50% in 2010.
See graphics and more data in Jaffee and Howard report.
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Jeff
On November 1, FTRN produced Webinar 118: A Community Discussion of What FTUSA Leaving FLO Means for Producers and the Movement-Part 2 with a Producer Leader. The panelist was Jerónimo Pruijn van Engelen, Executive Director of FUNDEPPO/Small Producers´ Symbol, and CLAC Delegate to Fairtrade International’s Standards Committee (CLAC-Latin American and Caribbean Network of Small Fair Trade Producers owns FUNDEPPO, which is managed independently from CLAC), and moderator was Jeff Goldman, Executive Director of Fair Trade Resource Network. Part 3 with FLO, and Part 4 with both FTUSA and FLO, are expected as webinars in coming weeks. You can download the 50-min recording of webinar 118, or register for upcoming webinars, at FTRN webinars.
 Some of the speakers’ main points from the webinar include comments below. (more…)
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Jeff
Fairtrade International (FLO), the product certification system associated with around 90% of all Fair Trade products sold annually around the world, released its 2010 data for sales by consumer country and by product sector. While globally sales grew over 2009 by a strong 27% to $5.8 billion, U.S. sales grew 5% to $1.3 billion, and Canada sales grew 6% to $330 million. The largest consumer country remained the UK, with sales growing to $1.8 billion (up 40%). The biggest growth was reported in the Czech Republic (386%), South Africa (315%), and Australia/New Zealand (258%).
FLO also reports sales volumes by product type. Of the high-volume products in FLO’s sytem, global sales of sugar and cocoa grew strongest in 2010, up 41% and 153% respectively. Coffee, the highest volume product, grew 19%. Sales of wine, sports balls, and quinoa each more than doubled. Sales of fruit juice, herbs & spices, bananas and fresh fruit declined.
See FLO news post and more data in the PDF report
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Jeff
Fair Trade Federation (FTF) approved in recent months the following 4 businesses as fully committed Fair Trade Organizations:
Connected Goods www.connectedgoods.com
Dsenyo www.dsenyo.com
Africa Schools of Kenya www.askenya.org
Earth Lover www.earthlovershopping.com
Also, FTF is calling for speakers for its 2012 annual conference, May 21-23 in Bellevue, WA. FTF seeks proposals for conference sessions that will speak to the needs and interests of FTF members and others involved in fair trade. Click here for more information about the conference and to download the speaker proposal. Submit proposals to info@fairtradefederation.org by December 1.
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