Fairtrade changes lives by changing trade
For three decades we have helped get fairer deals
for farmers and workers in developing countries, andnow we are a significant driver of the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs).
The SDGs – adopted by the UN in 2015 – are an ambitious
set of 17 global goals to achieve sustainable development
by 2030. If reached, they have the potential to improve thelives of the 1.3 billion small-scale farmers and agricultural
workers who produce the food and goods we all rely on.
However, there is still a long way to go.
Despite progress, more than 780 million people still live
below the international poverty line. 152 million children are
still involved in child labour. Climate change threatens toreverse progress on all levels.
Fairtrade has a crucial role in sustainable development.
Nearly all the 169 targets which underpin the global goals
are somehow related to food and farming. Fairtrade focuseson eight SDGs where we can really make a difference.

Decent incomes forfarmers and workers

Combatting hunger withsustainable agriculture

Eliminating poverty is at the heart ofFairtrade’s mission. Around 80 percent of
the world’s poor live in rural areas, andmany of these farmers and workers live
below or close to the poverty line. We aim
to achieve decent incomes – for example
by setting living income and living wage
benchmarks promoting collective bargaining
agreements, and protecting farmers frommarket fluctuations via the Fairtrade
Minimum Price.

Zero hunger starts with paying farmers afair price. Small-scale farmers provide 70
percent of the world’s population withfood and have a big role to play in ending
world hunger – but only when they canget fair prices for their crops and the rightsupport for their farms. Producers needfinancial stability to invest in their businesses,
to ensure long-term food security for theirfamilies and communities and to pay theirfarm labourers a decent wage.

Since 2015, Fairtrade has worked withcompanies to secure decent incomes in thebanana, flowers, textile and cocoa sectors.
Fairtrade also works with multinational
businesses to address human rights due
dilligence and to tackle extreme poverty inglobal supply chains.

Now our membershave access tofinancial services on
their doorstep. They
can open accounts,get credit facilities.
They can save moneywith us and get aloan – for personal orbusiness use.”
David Lukwata
General Manager of
the Fairtrade certified
Kibinge Coffee
Cooperative, Uganda

The amount Fairtrade farmers and workers havereceived in Fairtrade Premium from 2015 to 2018

Fairtrade also supports farmers to diversify
their income sources. In Kenya, womencoffee growers have launched their own
high-end Zawadi coffee brand – meaning‘gift’ in Swahili. From Ghanaian cocoafarmers diversifying their income throughdrought-resistant yam varieties, to ecotourism
in India and Colombia, Fairtrade empowers
producers to add value to their business.

When we began
growing bananas,
it was tough. There
were some days
when we only had
one meal. Since wejoined Fairtrade,everything haschanged. We now
have all of our dailymeals.”
Julio Mercado Cantillo
Banana grower,
Colombia

hectares of land under production
growing Fairtrade crops

Closing the farming
gender gap

Decent work anddecent incomes

The UN estimates that closing the gender
gap in agriculture could cut the numberof hungry people by up to 150 million.
Fairtrade supports women to participate
equally in their organisation’s decisionmaking, earn better wages and diversify
their income, and tackles stereotypes of‘women’s work’.

Millions of farmers and workers don’t earnenough to pay for their basic household
needs, let alone save for retirement or afailed harvest. Supply chains suffer fromhuman rights violations including child andforced labour, trafficking, sexual harassment
and abuse, and discrimination in hiring,training and promotion. Many young people
no longer see farming as an attractive career.

Our standards prohibit gender
discrimination, sexual harassment andgender based violence, set rules forparental leave, and rights for pregnant andbreastfeeding women. We run genderleadership schools and facilitate seedfunding for women’s initiatives.

It’s not been easy tomake my way in a
culture dominatedby men. But it’s been
worth the struggle,
because standing
behind me are manyrural women who
not only need to berepresented, but also
to know their rights
and reach a deeper
understanding of
their importance.”
María Edy Rivera
Fairtrade coffee farmer,
El Salvador

increase in household revenue forwomen Fairtrade cocoa producers in Ghana
after diversifying into yam production

Fairtrade Standards prohibit child andforced labour and promote better working
conditions such as use of protective
clothing, safe handling of hazardous
materials, building safety, grievanceprocedures and child care. Our standards
also support better terms of employment
covering working hours and overtime,
contracts and temporary work, as well as
workers’ rights such as collective bargaining
and freedom of association.

We are not cheap
labour, we are skilledhuman resources. We
deserve respect anddignity. The Fairtrade
Textile Standard
empowers factory
workers and enables
them to improve theirworking conditions
collectively.”
Nazma Akter
Textile worker andactivist, Bangladesh

wage rise enjoyed by Fairtrade workers– most of them women – at Mount Meru
flower farm in Tanzania

Rethinking production
and consumption

Changing trade in achanging climate

Fairtrade producers and businesses
meet stringent social, economic andenvironmental standards. But Fairtrade is far
more than a label, we’re a game-changer forcompanies and consumers who are serious
about sustainability.

Farmers are on the frontline of climatechange. They face growing risks to harvests
from droughts, higher temperatures, changing
rainfall patterns, floods, soil degradation anddesertification, depleted water sources andthe spread of climate induced pests anddiseases. Fairtrade farmers use the Fairtrade
Premium to become more resilient to extreme
weather and crop disease.

Our global campaign for trade justice issupported by thousands of towns, schools,universities, local governments and faithbased organizations and backed by millions
of consumers. More than 30,000 Fairtrade
products – verified by independent third
party auditor FLOCERT – are available inover 150 countries.
Fairtrade is the only ethical label with aTrader Standard promoting fairer behaviour
by traders and buyers. This includes
transparent contracts, fair prices, openness
about sourcing and market prospects, prefinancing for producers and compliancewith labour and environmental law.

We have become
professionals. Thecooperative taught
us how to do organic
farming based on
knowledge and skills.
This knowledge
helps us increase
our productivity andquality.”
Sobur
Fairtrade coffee farmer,
Sumatra, Indonesia

of consumers in Europe
want to know where and how
their products were madeFairtrade enables farmers to better
withstand these climate shocks andstresses. Fairtrade Standards cover climate
resilient agriculture such as rainwater
harvesting, planting shade trees, biogas andrenewable energy sources, integrated pest
management, organic fertilisers and dynamic
agroforestry. The Fairtrade Climate
Standard is the first of its kind to address
imbalances in the carbon market and ensurea fair financial return for producers.
Fairtrade Climate Academies in Asia andAfrica help farmers adapt, diversify and find
new sources of income.

of greenhousegasses comefrom agriculture

Fairtrade farmers
are better placed toadapt and mitigate
the effects of climatechange. But we can’t
do it by ourselves.
It’s up to everyone in
the supply chain toreduce their carbon
footprint and playtheir part.”
Parbindra Singh
Fairtrade sugar
producer, Fiji

Democracy in action

Working together for
trade justice

Fairtrade builds democracy from theground up. We are the only global ethicallabel 50 percent owned and run byfarmers and workers themselves.
Fairtrade cooperatives, which must abide by
the Fairtrade Standard requirements of being
democratic, transparent and inclusive, cannegotiate better deals with traders and accesscredit, insurance and other financial services.
They decide for themselves how to spend
the Fairtrade Premium, whether improving
productivity or addressing their community’ssustainable development priorities.
Fairtrade empowers farmers and workers to
speak out against injustice and inequality.
We provide training and support to local,
national and regional small producer
networks, and to local trade unions toimprove their capacity to negotiate andbargain. Fairtrade raises the voices ofsmall-scale farmers and workers at the
global level – for example influencing theUN Economic and Social Council to ensure
farmers’ needs were included in the SDGs.

Global supply chains favour big businessover small-scale farmers. Fairtrade brings
together more than 1.7 million farmersand workers, 1600 producer organizations,and countless trade unions, consumers
and campaigners.

If we want to build
a well, a medicalcentre or a school
using the Fairtrade
Premium, we discuss
it first and reach an
agreement by voting
at the village general
assembly.”

Fairtrade partners with more than 4000
businesses to deliver real impact for farmers
and workers. We work with governments
to bring about fairer trading practices– essential for sustainable economicgrowth. The Fairtrade Access Fund, apartnership between Fairtrade, Incofin FundManagement and Grameen Foundation, hasdisbursed more than US$128 million to dateto smallholder cooperatives.
The European Union selected Fairtradeas a strategic partner to advance theSDGs, and together with the Fair Trade
Advocacy Office and other organisations,
we advocate for polices such as the 2019
EU Directive on Unfair Trading Practices.

Titambé Diallo
Fairtrade cotton farmer,Senegal

Fairtrade is 50% owned
and run by farmers andworkers themselves

Fair Trade Towns
in over 30 countries

Fairtrade showsthat it is possible
to rebalance trade,to tackle poverty,
inequality andexploitation whileat the same timedelivering successful,sustainable, large
scale trading withincommercial markets.”
Marike de Peña
Fairtrade banana
producer, Dominican
RepublicIn addition to these eight key SDGs,
Fairtrade also contributes to achieving othergoals. For example, the Fairtrade Premiumhas been used to fund access to schools,
healthcare and clean drinking water (Goals
3, 4 and 6). The Fairtrade Standards prohibit
discrimination and promote equality (Goal 10).
And the more than 2000 Fair Trade Towns
worldwide contribute to more sustainable
cities and communities (Goal 11). The key
Fairtrade organising principles which link allof our contributions to the SDGs include:
f multistakeholder perspective
f rights-based approachf capacity building andorganisational development
f inclusive bottom-up ownershipf equitable participation
f global presence in more than

100 countries
Fairtrade is driving positive change formore than 1.7 million farmers and workers
worldwide, but we do not pretend we canend poverty, eliminate hunger or achieve
gender equality by ourselves.
Fairtrade aims to leave no one behind,empower people and protect the planet –and so build a better, more sustainable future
for all. Let’s work together to ensure the SDGs
will enable inclusive development throughtrade that benefits farmers and workers,
consumers, businesses and societies.

www.fairtrade.net/issues/sdgs

Photo credits:
Front cover: © Fairtrade International / Éric St-Pierre; Page 2: © Transfair e.V. / Anand Parmar;
Page 7: © Fairtrade International; Back cover: © CLAC
Produced by Fairtrade International, 2020