The Fairtrade Foundation

Infobox Company
company_name = The Fairtrade Foundation
company_
company_type = Charitable organization
foundation = 1992
location = flagicon|UK London, UK
key_people = Harriet Lamb, Director
homepage = [http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/ www.fairtrade.org.uk]

The Fairtrade Foundation is the British member of FLO International, which unites 23 Fairtrade producer and labelling initiatives across Europe, Asia, Latin America, North America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

The organization, registered as a charity, exists to improve the position of poor and marginalised producers in the developing world, by encouraging industry and consumers in the United Kingdom to support fairer trade. [The Fairtrade Foundation. (2000). [http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/includes/documents/cm_docs/2008/u/unpeeling.pdf Unpeeling the Banana Trade] . URL accessed on March 5, 2008.]

The Foundation aims to achieve its goals by:
*Awarding a consumer guarantee - the Fairtrade Mark - to products which meet their standards of a superior deal to producers in the developing world. In collaboration with FLO International and FLO-CERT, the Fairtrade foundation checks, through regular inspection and audit, that products with the Fairtrade Mark continue to meet Fairtrade standards.
*Promoting research into and education about the causes and effects of poverty, particularly in relation to the conduct of trade and conditions of employment for poor people throughout the world. [The Fairtrade Foundation. (2000). [http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/includes/documents/cm_docs/2008/u/unpeeling.pdf Unpeeling the Banana Trade] . URL accessed on March 5, 2008.]

The Foundation was established in 1992 by CAFOD, Christian Aid, New Consumer, Oxfam, Traidcraft and the World Development Movement. These organisations were later joined by Britain's largest women's organisation, the Women's Institute.

The Fairtrade Foundation organizes and coordinates promotional campaigns and events every year, such as the Fairtrade fortnight (which typically runs in March), the British counterpart of Max Havelaar France's Quinzaine du Commerce Équitable. The Foundation also coordinates the Fairtrade Town campaign, which designates areas and towns committed to the promotion of Fairtrade certified goods.

Fairtrade certified products are widely available today in the United Kingdom, and in 2006, there were over 2000 Fairtrade product lines available in the country. Products carrying the Fairtrade label can be found at vendors like Asda, Budgens, Booths, Co-op, Londis, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons and Safeway, Sainsbury's, Somerfield, Spar, Tesco, Waitrose as well as in hundreds of coffee shops, small retailers and online merchants.

In 2007, Fairtrade certified sales in the United Kingdom amounted to approximately £493 million, up from £273 million in 2006. Sales of their top selling product, bananas, were over 150 million pounds, an increase of 130 percent. In 2007, 25 percent of the bananas sold in the United Kingdom carried the Fairtrade label. Fairtrade sales of coffee in Britain, which had been their top selling product in 2006, rose 24 percent to 117 million pounds. [The Guardian (February 25, 2008) [http://www.guardian.co.uk/feedarticle?id=7334989 Fairtrade sales soar in Britain] . URL accessed on February 25, 2008.]

It was estimated in 2008 that approximately 70% of British adults could identify the Fairtrade Certification Mark [Just-food (2008). [UK: Awareness of fairtrade symbol rises to 70% http://www.just-food.com/article.aspx?id=102331] ] , up from 25% in 2003, 39% in 2004, 50% in 2005 and 57% in 2007. [House of Commons International Development Committee (June 5, 2007) [http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmselect/cmintdev/356/356i.pdf Fair Trade and Development] . URL accessed on June 20, 2007.]

In 2008, it was estimated that two in three UK households now regularly buy at least one Fairtrade-labelled product. [Sunday Mirror [http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/sunday/2008/02/24/fairtrade-booming-98487-20329271/] . URL accessed on February 24, 2008.]

ee also

References

External links

* [http://www.fairtrade.org.uk The Fairtrade Foundation]
* [http://www.fairtradeatwork.org.uk/ The Fairtrade Foundation's Fairtrade at Work Campaign]