Fair Trade Principles

 Fair Trade Overview

Fair Trade Certification empowers producers to lift themselves out of poverty by investing in their businesses and communities, protecting the environment, and developing the business skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace.

Fair Trade is much more than a fair price!  Fair Trade principles include:

• Fair price: Democratically organized producer groups receive a guaranteed minimum floor price and an additional premium for certified organic products. Farmer organizations are also eligible for pre-harvest credit.
   
• Labor conditions: Workers in Fair Trade businesses enjoy freedom of association, safe working conditions, and living wages. Forced child labor is strictly prohibited. 
   
• Direct trade: With Fair Trade, importers purchase from Fair Trade producer groups as directly as possible, eliminating unnecessary middlemen and empowering producers to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace. 
   
• Democratic and transparent organizations: Fair Trade producer groups decide democratically how to invest Fair Trade revenues. 
   
• Community development: Fair Trade producers invest Fair Trade premiums in social and business development projects like scholarship programs, quality improvement trainings, and organic certification. 
   
• Environmental sustainability: Harmful agrochemicals and dangerous working conditions are strictly prohibited in favor of environmentally sustainable methods that protect workers’ health and preserve valuable ecosystems for future generations.

TransFair USA, a non-profit organization, is the only independent, third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the U.S.  TransFair’s rigorous audit system, which tracks products from farm to finished product, verifies industry compliance with Fair Trade criteria. TransFair allows U.S. companies to display the Fair Trade Certified label on products that meet strict Fair Trade standards. 

Fair Trade Coffee Campaign uses only products that meet or exceed these standards.