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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
After six years in the position, Rob Clarke has resigned his position as Executive Director of Fairtrade Canada, effective January 25, 2012. Fairtrade Canada will soon begin a recruitment process for a new Executive Director, while the organization’s management team continues to handle operational matters in the interim.
At lot of change has come to Fair Trade in the past year, including the departures of each leader at Fairtrade International (FLO), Fairtrade Canada, Ten Thousand Villages Canada, and Ten Thousand Villages USA. The movement is also evolving through the monumental change of Fair Trade USA having left FLO January 1, 2012. Fairtrade Canada has been administering FLO’s activities in the U.S. on an interim basis since the split.
See full press release from Fairtrade Canada
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Jeff
Fair  Trade Resource Network (FTRN) announces that Webinar #120 is coming January 31 to help inform a major issue in Fair Trade’s direction, “Should Unorganized Farmers Be Included in Fair Trade?” The webinar is for the public to discuss implications and ask questions to 2 panelists:
Rodney North, Equal Exchange, The Answer Man – Information for the Public & Media
Michael Sheridan, Catholic Relief Services, Director of the Borderlands Coffee Project (based in Ecuador)
See more details below.
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Jeff
Fair Trade USA (FTUSA) today announced a revised policy for its multi-ingredient label use. Under the revised Ingredients Policy, which applies to all food and personal care products, only products that contain 100 percent Fair Trade Certified ingredients may bear the full Fair Trade Certified label. Products containing at least 20 percent Fair Trade Certified ingredients will now bear a new Fair Trade Certified Ingredients label. The public has 60 days to make comments to FTUSA about the new policy.
FTUSA also unveiled a new label for Fair Trade Certified products.
More at FTUSA Revised Multi-Ingredient Policy press release
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Jeff
A coalition to end child slavery on West African cocoa farms, Slave Free Chocolate, has launched a campaign to correct U.S. Department of Labor Executive Order (EO) 13126: “Prohibition of Acquisition of Products Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor”, signed on June 12, 1999. Currently, the EO addresses inappropriate cocoa from Cote d’ Ivoire and Nigeria, but not chocolate made with such cocoa. For this EO to have any effect at all the campaign asks that the words “and its derivative products” be included when referencing such cocoa.
Learn more and join the campaign at Executive Order 13126 Valentine’s Campaign
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Jeff
 Fair Trade Resource Network (FTRN) & Survivors Connect (SC) announce the launch of iSpotFairTrade, a web-based map that allows anyone to identify where Fair Trade goods are bought and sold throughout the United States and Canada! iSpotFairTrade is crowd-sourced, so anyone can post information on the interactive maps about products associated with any of the widely accepted recognition/certification systems. (more…)
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Jeff
On December 16, FTRN produced Webinar 119: A Community Discussion of What FTUSA Leaving FLO Means for Producers and the Movement-Part 3 with a FLO Leader. The panelist was John Kay, Chair of Fairtrade Canada and FLO Board Member, and moderator was Jeff Goldman, Executive Director of Fair Trade Resource Network. Part 4 with both FTUSA and FLO or other stakeholders, is expected in coming weeks. You can download the 50-min recording of webinar 119, 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
Ten Thousand Villages’ board of directors announced the formation of a search committee to recruit a new chief executive officer (CEO) to lead its network of more than 75 retail stores in the US. Craig Schloneger will step down as CEO on March 31, 2012.
Some of the organization’s accomplishments during Schloneger’s tenure include: record achievements in sales, artisan purchases and employee growth during a declining retail industry environment; an increase in artisan purchasing relationships; and the opening of nearly 25 new stores. (more…)
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Jeff
Another major chocolate company will start sourcing some of its cocoa as Fair Trade, through participation in the Fairtrade International (FLO) certification system. Callebaut® Finest Belgian Chocolate™ today announced the launch of Fairtrade certified versions of its popular 811NV (55.3% Cacao Dark), 823NV (35.1% Milk) and 70-30-38NV (70% Cacao Dark) references to confectioners, bakers and pastry chefs. With annual sales of about $5 billion for fiscal year 2010/11, Zurich-based Barry Callebaut is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality cocoa and chocolate. More at full press release.
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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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