Fairtrade certification

Fairtrade is a global system of standards that promotes fairer trade, decent working conditions and sustainable production. The FAIRTRADE mark or labelling system applies to both food and non-food products, including bananas, coffee, chocolate, flowers, tea, cotton and gold.

The global network comprises Fairtrade International (the coordination body), over 25 national Fairtrade and marketing organisations, and three producer networks: Fairtrade Africa, NAPP (Network of Asia and Pacific Producers), and CLAC (Latin America and Caribbean Network of Fair Trade Small Producers and Workers), which represent small-scale producers and workers. FLOCERT, an independent auditor for the Fairtrade system, carries out the certification of producers and traders.

In the UK, the Fairtrade Foundation (the UK member organisation) licenses the FAIRTRADE Mark for products or ingredients whose supply chain has been verified by FLOCERT as meeting international Fairtrade standards.

Certification standards

Fairtrade Standards establish social, economic, and environmental requirements for small-scale farmer organisations, plantations and traders, forming the basis for certification. They are tailored to various product groups.

The Fairtrade label guarantees that producers receive at least a set minimum price (or market price if higher) and a Fairtrade Premium that farmers or producers can invest in community projects and small-scale producer organisations. Traders must provide transparent contracts, sourcing plans and offer producers access to pre‑finance.

Social criteria protect workers’ rights, including freedom of association, promote gender equality, health, safety and prohibit forced and child labour. Traders are expected to conduct human rights due diligence to identify and assess risks of harm to people and the environment.

Environmental rules restrict or prohibit the use of certain agrochemicals, particularly pesticides, promote responsible soil and water management, and ban genetically modified organisms; traceability rules are in place to track how certified ingredients move through supply chains.

Advocacy campaigns

The Fairtrade Foundation takes an advocacy role to promote fairer trade through policy engagement and public campaigns. It has focused on supply chain imbalances, inequality, human rights risks and climate change. Alongside other civil society organisations, it’s been campaigning for more stringent human rights and environmental due diligence in supply chains.

The organisation’s Brew it Fair campaign, launched in May 2025, aims to address low prices, poor wages, gender discrimination and climate risks experienced by tea producers. It calls on consumers, retailers, and the UK Government to support fairer trading practices and introduce mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence. The UK is a key market, accounting for 61% of all Fairtrade tea (PDF) sold worldwide, while 10% of tea sold in the UK carries the Fairtrade mark. For further information on the campaign, see Fairtrade, Brew it Fair, May 2025.

Fairtrade Premium and UK market

According to the Fairtrade Foundation’s 2024 annual report (PDF), UK retail sales of Fairtrade products increased in 2024. They generated nearly £28 million in Fairtrade Premium, which benefitted producers in 2024, similar to the previous year. Sales continued to be affected by wider economic uncertainty (including global tariffs, inflation and global political instability) and by cost of living pressures on retailers and consumers. A1 Retail Magazine reported that the UK is globally the largest market for several Fairtrade goods such as bananas, tea, processed and fruit juices, sugar and wine.

Other certification standards

There are various other sustainability certification systems, such as “Fair Trade” (written separately) by the World Fair Trade Organisation and Rainforest Alliance, that promote global sustainability standards and share some of the same principles as Fairtrade.

Alongside Fairtrade International, major international agriculture and forestry standards include Better Cotton, GLOBALG.A.P., organic, FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification), and Rainforest Alliance.

The International Trade Centre, a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, hosts the Standards Map, a platform featuring profiles of over 300 voluntary sustainability standards.

Global reach of sustainability certification

According to the International Trade Centre (ITC), global data on the coverage of voluntary certification systems for agricultural and forestry produce is limited. There is insufficient information on international trade patterns for certified products. Analysis is complicated by sometimes overlapping certification systems and variable reporting standards.

A report by the ITC, the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture: The state of sustainable trade 2024 shows that in 2022, global agricultural and forestry areas and production volumes covered by various voluntary certification standards continued to increase, reflecting growing demand for sustainable products. For example, the global crop area covered by voluntary certification reached at least:

  • Cotton: 6.6 million hectares or at least 20.1% of crop area
  • Cocoa: 3.65 million hectares or at least 31.4%
  • Oil palm: 3.58 million hectares or at least 12.4%
  • Coffee: 1.7 million hectares or at least 15.2%
  • Tea: 0.7 million hectares or at least 13%
  • Banana: 0.4 million hectares or at least 7%.

Government position

The government has said it “recognises the importance of ethical consumption choices.” For example, its Green Claims Code provides guidance to businesses on environmental claims and is intended to help consumers make informed ethical choices. The Competition and Markets Authority is responsible for enforcement against greenwashing – misleading environmental claims about products, services and organisations.

Trade and sustainable supply chains

Commons Library briefing Trade, supply chains and workers’ rights outlines concerns about human rights and environmental harm in global supply chains, and summarises the UK’s current legislative and policy framework. It considers calls for reform, including proposals for mandatory corporate due diligence.

The UK Government’s June 2025 Trade Strategy announced a review of responsible business conduct, focusing on global supply chains. The review will consider human rights, labour abuses, modern slavery and environmental harms.

Press articles

Parliamentary material

Written Questions

Committee reports

Early Day Motion

Fairtrade tea campaign: EDM (Early Day Motion) 1282: tabled on 19 May 2025

That this House condemns the grave working conditions that many tea growing communities face across the world; notes with concern that many tea farmers and workers do not earn enough to afford a decent standard of living; acknowledges that the challenges in the tea industry are deeply complex; supports multi-stakeholder dialogue in the tea sector to build progress towards living incomes and living wages for the people behind the tea we drink; calls for UK legislation to make it mandatory for businesses to carry out human rights and environmental due diligence in their supply chains; and urges the Government to honour its International Climate Finance commitment to support tea growing communities to adapt and build resilience to climate change.

This motion has been signed by 83 Members. It has not yet had any amendments submitted.

Library briefings

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