Across N. America, advocates are inspiring around 100,000 people to participate in Fair Trade events from May 6-20. Please join us in supporting the largest Fair Trade event in N. America each year, and in celebrating the “Best in Fair Trade” Award winners. With over 1,000,000 producers around the world already benefiting from Fair Trade, it’s time to raise our voices and vote with our dollars until all trade is fair! This year, individuals as well as organizations will host hundreds of events to celebrate Fair Trade.

We invite you to host WFTD events during May 6-20 - including Fair Trade festivals, fashion shows, speeches, food and drink tastings, film showings, sports games, neighborhood crawls, spa nights and concerts and much more – to promote Fair Trade and campaign for trade justice together with farmers and artisans around the world.

More at WFTD

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

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.

Register for Webinar #120

Outline of Webinar #120:

January 31, 1:00-1:50pm Eastern time: Should Unorganized Farmers Be Included in Fair Trade?

Panelists:

Panelists:

1. Rodney North, Equal Exchange, The Answer Man – Information for the Public & Media
2. Michael Sheridan, Catholic Relief Services, Director of the Borderlands Coffee Project (based in Ecuador)

Moderator:

FTRN’s Executive Director, Jeff Goldman

Level: Intermediate

Outline:

·         Welcome

Jeff (2 min)

·         Opening remarks

Rodney (5 min)

Michael (5 min)

·         Audience Questions for the Panelist (34 min)

Participants will text comments and questions to moderator, who will speak them

·         Closing Remarks

Rodney (1 min)

Michael (1 min)

·         Closing Announcements

Jeff (2 min)

Register for Webinar #120

FTUSA also unveiled a new label for Fair Trade Certified products.

More at FTUSA Revised Multi-Ingredient Policy press release

Learn more and join the campaign at Executive Order 13126 Valentine’s Campaign

Founder of Survivors Connect, Aashika Damodar, is excited about the initiative; “Our goal at Survivors Connect is to empower activists with innovative technologies like this. iSpot allows individuals to send an email or submit via the website information about where they see fair trade goods. Their submission is then marked on an interactive map, and visitors can search by town, product category, or keyword, and share with their friends and family.  By doing so, we hope that visitors will stimulate demand for more Fair Trade throughout the continent!”

For more information about this project, please visit www.ftrn.org/ispotfairtrade, or both www.survivorsconnect.org & www.ftrn.org.

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THIS ISN’T YOUR AVERAGE CALENDAR:
The 2012 Fair Trade calendar…
• Features winning photographs of Fair Trade producers from the Fair Trade Photo Contest submitted by advocates, business and NGOs active in Fair Trade, and voted on by supporters of the Fair Trade movement.
• includes a “Where to Buy Fair Trade” section listing Fair Trade businesses throughout the U.S, along with Fair Trade impact stories and more!
• will raise awareness about Fair Trade and participating businesses, and generate funds for FTRN, FTF as well as calendar Resellers.

The 2012 Fair Trade Calendar is the only wall calendar highlighting Fair Trade available in the US! The full color 13.5″ × 9.5″ calendar is professionally designed and printed on environmentally friendly paper.

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Some of the speakers’ main points from the webinar include comments below.

John:

In September 2011, FTUSA unilaterally decided to resign its membership of the Fairtrade International (FLO) system. The main point of contention was a difference of opinion about whether to include hired labor plantations in Fairtrade, particularly for coffee.

FLO wishes to bring FTUSA back into the FLO system, so FLO is keeping communication open with FTUSA. However, FLO needs to move forward to protect the interests of producers and licensees, and maintain the benefits we have achieved for farmers and workers selling into/through the Fairtrade market in the US. Fairtrade Canada will handle interim US operations while conducting widespread consultation with US stakeholders. Such consultations will determine whether a new US labeling initiative, or just the Fairtrade Canada office, will work in the US market in the long term.

Key findings from US stakeholder consultation since the split:

“I would like to see more communication and interaction between Fairtrade and its stakeholders…”

‘Producers first’ mentality: “Knowledge that we are assisting the farmers not the middlemen”

“While what’s happened is disruptive and disturbing, it could make FT in the US better…”

“FLO needs to raise the bar, and the US needs a new organization to safeguard the international mark and focus on building true grass roots support…”

FLO has been engaging with US companies, but has not been actively poaching business partners from FTUSA. I can’t say yet whether any large companies have switched to FLO, but discussions are under way.

FLO is adding resources to Fairtrade Canada to help serve willing US business partners. Stakeholders have urged FLO to adequately support FLO’s Fairtrade mark if the label is to be used in the US market.

FLO has been conducting a consultation process with international trade unions and other labor interests, likely to result in changes, about how hired labor participates, and has greater voice, in FLO’s system. I can’t say whether FLO would reduce hired labor participation in FLO. My guess, which is only a guess by me, is that FLO will preserve the status quo, and will neither expand nor contract hired labor participation in Fairtrade.

I wouldn’t say there are concrete discussions underway to collaborate with other international certification schemes, but there are opportunities to partner more. FLO seeks to present one global system, with one global mark, under a unified message. Transparency will absolutely characterize FLO’s process for consultation and decisions about its direction.

I don’t know if FLO has a policy to receive, or not, money and donations from companies that it audits/monitors, as FTUSA does earn donations and licensing fees from its business partners. Fairtrade Canada believes that if labeling initiatives get ISO 65 certification, that would reduce enough the conflict of interest. Fairtrade Canada only earns licensing fees, and does not receive donations or grants from companies or donor organizations.

FLO is organizing a meeting in New York for key stakeholders in January to take US consultations to the next phase. Pending approval from FLO, the public can expect by December 23 electronic publication and website posting of who has been consulted thus far in the US.

All 3 producer networks have publically stated their strong views, and concerns, about FTUSA’s decision to split. All 3 remain absolutely committed to the FLO system, and now want strong support for FLO system and better understanding of how to increase practical impacts for producers. Producers now want to focus on how to increase market access & sales of certified products, and how to manage growth (should system seek greater volume, working with large companies, or other approaches?).

If FTUSA competes with FLO by offering laxer standards and cheaper fees to US business partners, those partners will simply have to choose what serves them best. FLO doesn’t plan to disparage what FTUSA or other certifiers are doing. I expect FLO to keep fees the same as FTUSA’s, and to make them transparent and public.

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.Schloneger is stepping down to take a new position as Partner with North Group, a consulting firm in Lancaster, PA, specializing in leadership, management teams and organizational development.

Ten Thousand Villages is one of the four large, fully committed Fair Trade businesses in N. America, and is widely considered the first Fair Trade business. Villages is a retailer of artisan-crafted home decor, personal accessories and gift items from across the globe, featuring products from more than 130 artisan groups in some 35 countries. Ten Thousand Villages is part of a network of more than 150 retail outlets throughout the United States.

More at Ten Thousand Villages