Fair Trade Certified Mark
Encyclopedia
The Fair Trade Certified Mark is a fair trade certification
Fair trade certification
A fair trade certification is a product certification within the market-based movement fair trade. The most widely used fair trade certification is FLO International's, the International Fairtrade Certification Mark, used in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Fair Trade Certified Mark...
mark used in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It appears on products as an independent guarantee that disadvantaged producers in the developing world are getting a better deal. The Fair Trade Certified Mark is the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n equivalent of the International Fairtrade Certification Mark
International Fairtrade Certification Mark
The International FAIRTRADE Certification Mark is an independent certification mark used in over 50 countries. It appears on products as an independent guarantee that disadvantaged producers in the developing world are getting a better deal....
used in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
In 2010, Canada began actively promoting both the Fair Trade Certified Mark and the International Fairtrade Certification Mark
International Fairtrade Certification Mark
The International FAIRTRADE Certification Mark is an independent certification mark used in over 50 countries. It appears on products as an independent guarantee that disadvantaged producers in the developing world are getting a better deal....
as part of a transition process towards the latter, which became the primary Fairtrade Certification Mark in 2011.
For a product to carry either Certification Marks, it must come from FLO-CERT inspected and certified producer organizations. The crops must be grown and harvested in accordance with the International Fairtrade standards set by FLO International. The supply chain is also monitored by FLO-CERT to ensure the integrity of labelled products. Only TransFair USA
Transfair USA
Fair Trade USA, formerly "TransFair USA" is a 501 non-profit organization.Founded in 1998, Fair Trade USA’s mission is to "enable sustainable development and community empowerment by cultivating a more equitable global trade model that benefits farmers, workers, consumers, industry and the earth"...
or TransFair Canada
Transfair Canada
Fairtrade Canada, formerly TransFair Canada, is a national non-profit certification and public education organization promoting fair trade certified products in Canada to improve the livelihood of developing world farmers and workers...
licensees can use the Fair Trade Certified Mark on their products, however a gradual phase-out of this mark began in Canada in 2011.
The Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Fair Trade Certified Mark was introduced by TransFair Canada
Transfair Canada
Fairtrade Canada, formerly TransFair Canada, is a national non-profit certification and public education organization promoting fair trade certified products in Canada to improve the livelihood of developing world farmers and workers...
on the Canadian market in 1997.
The American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Fair Trade Certified Mark was introduced by TransFair USA
Transfair USA
Fair Trade USA, formerly "TransFair USA" is a 501 non-profit organization.Founded in 1998, Fair Trade USA’s mission is to "enable sustainable development and community empowerment by cultivating a more equitable global trade model that benefits farmers, workers, consumers, industry and the earth"...
on the American market in 1998.