FairWild Foundation publishes FairWild Standard Revision and Development Procedure

From: FairWild

On April 16, the FairWild Foundation published a new policy document “FairWild Standard Revision and Development Procedure (Version 1/2019).” The document describes the process by which the FairWild Standard – an internationally recognized set of principles, criteria and indicators for verifying the sustainable and equitable trade in wild harvested ingredients – will be periodically reviewed and revised. 

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Fairtrade raises its cocoa farmer's minimum price by 20%

Fairtrade International has announced the raising of its guaranteed minimum price for cocoa producers. It goes from $ 2,000 to $ 2,400 per metric ton at the point of export (FOB). The additional Fairtrade Premium is also raised by 20%. It will be $ 240 per metric ton instead of $ 200. Fairtrade organic cocoa will cost $ 300 more than the market price or the minimum fair trade price.

These increases follow the failure identified by the organisation itself: 77% of Fairtrade certified cocoa farmers in Côte d'Ivoire are below the poverty line.* 

The new Fairtrade Minimum Price at FOB level would equate to approximately $1,600 per metric tonne at farm gate level in Côte d’Ivoire and is still below the Fairtrade Living Income Reference Prices of $2,668 per metric tonne of cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire and $2,300 in Ghana. Those LIRF prices are based on what the ISEAL Living Income Community of Practice has calculated to be needed in each country to support the average cocoa farming household’s basic costs for food, housing, clothing, health care, education plus a small provision for emergencies.

As mentioned by Fairtrade International : "The Living Income Reference Price should enable full-time cocoa farmers to earn a living income if implemented as part of a holistic strategy that also includes increased productivity and diversified crops". 

* To find out more about the reasons for this setback and some ways to improve ethics in the sector, read the TDC article: "Fair trade struggles to lift cocoa farmers out of poverty in Ivory Coast"

Sustainability certification initiatives need to be more effective

New SOMO research shows that working conditions on many certified farms and plantations are still problematic. Workers face an array of challenges including poor pay, unsafe and unhealthy situations, and they are prevented from standing up for their rights. 

Changes and improvements are urgently needed for ambitious sustainability certification initiatives to become a significant instrument in improving working conditions for farm workers across the developing world.

Download the report

What Are We Getting from Voluntary Sustainability Standards for Coffee?

From: Centre for Global Development

Abstract

"Demand for and supply of “sustainable” coffee (and other commodities) have grown markedly for two decades, as has the literature analyzing the effects of voluntary sustainability standards for coffee. The evidence for assessing the impacts for smallholder producers and the environment remains relatively weak, however. A relatively small number of studies use methods that allow researchers to attribute observed outcomes to sustainability certifications. 

This paper reviews research from the past decade on the effects of coffee sustainability schemes to see what we have learned about the impact of such schemes, and whether positive livelihood effects are mainly the result of relatively better off households choosing to participate. Overall, the available research suggests that certification schemes can be beneficial, but context matters, and the poorest, most vulnerable smallholder producers are able to comply with sustainability standards only with substantial external help."

Read the report by Kimberly Ann Elliott

Stanford researchers reveal limited scope of corporate approaches to social and environmental issues

The first large-scale analysis of corporate practices for sourcing sustainable materials shows that many companies address sustainability at some level, but most deal with only one or a subset of materials within a small portion of their supply chain.

Read further the article on Stanford News

Reat the Article by Tannis Thorlakson, Joann F. de Zegher and Eric F. Lambin

ICTSD: Spotlight on Sustainability Standards

Volume 6, Number 7 13 October 2017

In this issue: 

- Do Regulations and Standards Support Sustainability Dynamics in Global Value Chains?

- New Models for Increasing Producer Benefits Through Sustainability Standards and Trade in Africa

- Acting in Concert on Private Standards to Foster Sustainable Development in Value Chains

- Tackling Leakages in Africa’s Tourism Sector

- A Fresh Look at Africa’s Integration in Regional Economic Communities

- Publications and Resources

Download the publication (PDF) - In English or in French

Global sales of Fairtrade products reached €7.88 billion in 2016

Global sales of Fairtrade products reached €7.88 billion in 2016, with solid growth rates among key products: coffee sales increased by 3 percent, cocoa by 34 percent, sugar by 7 percent, and bananas, tea, and flowers and plants by 5 percent each. 

The market that grew fastest last year was Austria, with an increase of 46 percent in Fairtrade retail sales, mostly due to the excellent reception of Fairtrade Sourcing Partnerships Programs in the country. France, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland, four mature Fairtrade markets, also experienced substantial increases in sales, all with more than 20 percent growth. South Africa has bucked the international growth trend for Fairtrade sales, in part due to the worst drought in more than 80 years, and the increase in certification costs due to a weaker rand.

During 2016, Fairtrade worked with more than 1.6 million farmers and workers around the globe, through more than 1,411 certified producer organizations across 73 countries. Global Fairtrade sales totalled €7.88 billion in 2016, Farmers and workers also received €150 million in Fairtrade Premium, an extra sum of money that producer groups invest in projects of their choice.

Read more in the Fairtrade International annual report

The future of certified coffee

The certified coffee sector re-thinks its strategy among growing private schemes.

Lire l'article de "Global Coffee Report"

Rainforest Alliance and Utz merge

The new organization will create a single agriculture sustainability standard, it will simplify the certification process and continue to improve livelihoods for farmers and forest communities.

The Rainforest Alliance and UTZ, two of the world’s leading sustainability certification organizations, have announced their intention to merge later this year.

The new organization, to be named the Rainforest Alliance, will tackle environmental and social issues around the world, including climate change, deforestation, poverty and unsustainable farming. It will create a single global certification standard that will simplify certification for farmers and empower companies to build more responsible supply chains, more efficiently. It will also work to expand advocacy efforts and through new partnerships ensure conservation of entire landscapes in priority regions from India to Indonesia, Guatemala to Ghana.

Source: press release, Utz, June 7  

More information

FairWild Foundation to launch a new accreditation and auditor training programme

From www.fairwild.org 

FairWild Foundation has decided to launch a new accreditation and auditor training programme for the FairWild certification bodies. 

According to FairWild Board member and accreditation co-ordinator Elisabeth Rüegg, “The decision to accredit additional qualified certification bodies will allow the FairWild scheme to be offered worldwide, and give wild-collection operators more options over which certifier they work with. 

As Rüegg outlined during the presentation at the Biofach in February, FairWild Foundation is now open to enquiries from certification bodies interested to become accredited for the certification scheme. Phase 1 of the accreditation programme in 2017 involves pilots with applicant certifiers, with a full system anticipated to be in place by January 2018. 

Read further the news: FairWild sustainability solutions on show at BioFach 2017

Is this the beginning of the end for Fairtrade?

"After decades of fast growth, a reversal in the fortunes of Fairtrade is apparent. This is particularly so for the Alternative Trading Organisations (ATOs) that spearheaded the movement, but which have become its first casualties. Here, at the start of Fairtrade Fortnight, Dr Iain Davies asks what the future holds for Fairtrade."  

Read further the post by Amy Lunt in a blog of the University of Bath.

Evaluation report on the UTZ tea program in Sri Lanka

From utz.org
"This study, commissionned by UTZ, evaluated the social, economic and environmental outcomes of the UTZ tea program in Sri Lanka. The researchers took a qualitative approach, combining different research methods. They assessed the UTZ program within the local context, from the perspective of different stakeholders, and also looked for unexpected changes."

Download the report

Voluntary sustainability standards for bananas

"Voluntary Sustainability Standards are becoming mainstream in the banana export market as big companies to measure and showcase the improvement of their practices to limit supply and reputational risks."

Read further the article by the FAO

RA-Cert Announces New Collaboration with UTZ

Press Release.

January 22, 2016

RA-Cert, the auditing arm of the Rainforest Alliance, has announced a new collaboration agreement with UTZ, a program and label for sustainable farming. In this new agreement, RA-Cert has become an UTZ certification body, which can conduct UTZ stand-alone and combined UTZ/SAN (Sustainable Agriculture Network) audits and certifications in sustainable coffee, cocoa and team production in select countries across South America, Asia and Africa. In Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria, RA-Cert can now offer combined UTZ/ SAN audits only. In an effort to keep costs down, auditors must check requirements for both UTZ and SAN standards in one visit. RA-Cert will conduct UTZ stand-alone audits only of farms that are already Rainforest Alliance Certified™ to current SAN standards.

RA-Cert is the auditing division of the Rainforest Alliance responsible for conducting audits to current SAN standards. Farms that meet with these standards are “Rainforest Alliance Certified” and can use the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal. RA-Cert services play an integral role in helping the Rainforest Alliance achieve its mission of conserving biodiversity and ensuring sustainable livelihoods. UTZ is a strong proponent of combined auditing and has been promoting this since its inception. UTZ and the RA-Cert believe combined auditing is not only more credible and scalable, it also promotes cost efficiency, ultimately reducing costs for producers.

About RA-Cert and the Rainforest Alliance

RA-Cert is a leading global certification body, providing certification and assurance services in the areas of forestry, agriculture, tourism and carbon/climate. In agriculture, RA-Cert audits to the standards of the Sustainable Agriculture Network. RA-Cert is the auditing division of the Rainforest Alliance, an international non-profit organization that works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods. For more information: www.rainforest-alliance.org

About UTZ

UTZ is a program and label for sustainable farming. Sustainable farming helps farmers, workers and their families to fulfill their ambitions and contributes to safeguarding the earth’s natural resources, now and in the future. The mission of UTZ is to create a world where sustainable farming is the norm; where famers implement good agricultural practices and manage their farms profitably with respect for people and planet, industry invests in and rewards sustainable production and consumers can enjoy and trust the products they buy. For more information: www.utz.org

Fair trade label: creation of the SPP-France Association

ETHIQUABLE, AVSF, Café Michel, ARDEAR Rhones-Alpes and BIOCOOP have just created the French Association of "Small Producers Symbol", a fair trade label that belongs to producers.

According to the founders of the association: "The strength of the fair trade proposal is based on organized peasant agriculture". They continue: "after several decades of existence and profound changes - especially in the 2000s, fair trade is no longer solely focused on that vision."

They warn: "By not putting more priority support on small-scale agriculture that it was proposed to support from its creation, fair trade is in danger of being emptied of its substance."

Declaration of principles (in French)

The "Small Producers Symbol" was officially launched in November 2010 in Honduras. As stated by the National Coordination of Fair Trade in Peru (NCLA), the initiative came in response to Fairtrade International, which no longer exclusively reserves its Fairtrade label to small producers: « FLO, the international organisation that certifies fair trade in the world, has allowed large businesses to become certified to the detriment of small producers ». 

The label comprises a comprehensive set of criteria for production, management, respect for the environment, the management of relations between producers and purchasing organisations...

In France, the "Small Producers Symbol" has already been put on 35 products of the Ethiquable brand.

More information on the label : Tusimbolo.org

Is Mass Balance Pushing Your Chocolate Bar Too Far?

From www.triplepundit.com 

"Mass balance programs make it easier for companies to use Fair Trade, but with mixed commodity supplies, your actual bar might be not be what you think."

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Revision of the Fair for Life Social & Fair Trade Programme

From www.fairforlife.org 

"In the last complete standard revision in 2010 (resulting standard version Feb. 2011), various parts of the Fair for Life (FFL) Programme had been modified and strengthened considerably, and several new major compliance requirements (e.g. proof of decent working conditions along the entire chain of custody) had been pioneered with Fair for Life being the first fair trade standard worldwide to set such high expectations along the supply chain.
 

Practical implementation of the programme by more than 180 operations worldwide as well as substantial changes in fair trade schemes that Fair for Life accepts as equivalent resulted in a need for a technical minor revision of some parts of the programme for effective and efficient implementation.

For the minor revision in 2013 only Modules 1 and 4 were revised and the Fair for Life Programme updated accordingly. "

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Sustainable tea production accounts for approximately 7.7 per cent of estimated global tea production for exports in 2009

Over the past five years, sustainable tea production (Rainforest Alliance, Organic, Fairtrade, Utz Certified) has grown by 5,557 per cent and, at 28,1 105 metric tons, accounts for approximately 7.7 per cent of estimated global tea production for exports in 2009.

Africa is the dominant supplier of sustainable tea for export; 70 per cent of all sustainable tea is currentlyproduced in Africa, whereas Africa only accounts for 32 per cent of conventional tea for export.

Supply of certified tea is set to increase significantly in the coming years due to various buyer initiatives: Tetley, Unilever and Twinings either have sourced, or have committed to, sourcing from sustainable supply in the coming years.

Text from The State of Sustainability Initiatives Review 2010.