Tag: Fairtrade International

A diluted EU due diligence law is still better than none

Stuart Mitchell

Fairtrade International and the Fair Trade Advocacy Office statement on the agreement of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive at the Committee of the Permanent Representatives of the Governments of the Member States to the European Union (COREPER). Recently EU Member states finally agreed to give green light to the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) during the meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER). The Directive, still subject to the European Parliament approval, will be a diluted compromise which was only possible after a frustrating process that has…

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Fairtrade report shows farmers earn more with living income reference price

Stuart Mitchell

Cocoa farmers who were paid a living income reference price earned on average approximately 15 percent more compared to government regulated farmgate prices, according to a new report published by Fairtrade International. The Fairtrade Living Income Progress Report 2023 includes results from the first two years of the Fairtrade Living Income Learning project. The project’s partners – Tony’s Open Chain, Ben & Jerry’s, and six Fairtrade certified cocoa cooperatives in Côte d’Ivoire – worked together to improve farm profitability towards target values for cocoa yields, crop diversification, and cost efficiency,…

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Fairtrade Impact Map: delivering greater impact for farmers, workers, businesses and consumers

Stuart Mitchell

Fairtrade International recently unveiled an updated and revamped digital mapping platform. Intended as a tool for advocacy, for communicating and engaging with commercial partners, as well as for internal Fairtrade learning, the Impact Map represents a major step forward for transparency and openness around both the organisation’s achievements and challenges. The Impact Map is a free-to-use, publicly-accessible interactive map which contains more than 100 Fairtrade projects and commissioned studies around the world, with detailed information on all time-limited, impact-oriented Fairtrade engagements. Featured projects include those externally funded by institutional donors,…

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Brighter future for banana plantation workers as Fairtrade launches ‘game changing’ new offer for traders and retailers

Stuart Mitchell

Fairtrade International is excited to launch a major new initiative in the drive to deliver decent incomes for workers on Fairtrade certified banana plantations across the world. Fairtrade’s sustainable offer to achieve living wages, living incomes and resilient banana supply chains is launched today at the global Fruit Attraction expo in Madrid. It aims to ensure that banana workers earn as a minimum the living wage for their country, whilst helping retailers fulfil their commitments to a sustainable banana industry. More than 35,658 workers and farmers employed by 265 Fairtrade…

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New programme for Fairtrade cocoa cooperatives supports child labour prevention and remediation efforts

Stuart Mitchell

A new programme is launching recently to support Fairtrade certified Ivorian and Ghanaian cocoa cooperatives to strengthen prevention and remediation of child labour and forced labour, according to a joint announcement by Fairtrade International and Fairtrade Africa. With the incidence of child labour having increased in the past decade – involving more than 1.5 million children aged five to 17 working on cocoa farms in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, according to a 2020 report – a change in approach is urgently needed. The new initiative, known as the Fairtrade Child…

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