Organic and Fair Trade Organizations

ALTERNATIVE TRADING ORGANIZATIONS (ATO)

An Alternative Trading Organization is typically a non-government organization (NGO) that is aligned with Fair Trade programs with the goal of raising awareness among consumers and helping marginalized producers receive higher prices and better marketing for their products to help eliminate poverty and improve living conditions in coffee farming communities whiles also promoting health and safety, sustainable practices, and preservation of the natural environment.

With Fair Trade programs at the core of their mission and objectives the Alternative Trading Organizations emphasize the power of collective action in achieving trade justice.

Alternative Trade Organizations integrally associated with the Fair Trade movement include TransFair USA, TransFair Canada, Fairtrade Labelling Organization International, Oxfam International, International Federation for Alternative Trade (IFAT), Fair Trade Federation, Fair Trade Original, and Equal Exchange.

FAIRTRADE LABELLING ORGANIZATIONS INTERNATIONAL (FLO)

This organization, which itself is comprised of 24 organizations, is involved with international coordinating of the Fairtrade (Fair Trade Coffee) labeling standards with the goal of empowering coffee producers and garnering a better price for their products.

The group provides producers with training and guidance to assists them in developing new market opportunities and help them gain Fair Trade certification which is based upon the principles of: fair prices; fair labor conditions; direct trade; democratic and transparent organizations; community development; and environmental sustainability.

Other issues of importance to Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International are the global recession, climate change, and trade justice.

Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International has developed Producer Networks in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

ORGANIC TRADE ASSOCIATION

With a goal of protecting and promoting organic trade, the Organic Trade Association is concerned with North America's organic business community from the farmers to the consumers and general public.

Environmental and economic concerns are addressed by the Organic Trade Association, which has also developed an Organic Export Program and grants Organic Leadership Awards.

SONGBIRD FOUNDATION

A non-profit organization, The Songbird Foundation strives to educate people to help preserve migratory songbirds by not purchasing sun-grown coffees that contribute to the destruction of the rainforest and songbird habitat.

The Foundation works to raise awareness among coffee growers and coffee distributors as well as coffee retailers and coffee consumers.

With a goal of promoting sustainable agricultural practices among coffee growers, The Songbird Foundation encourages consumers to buy only shade-grown, organic, Fair Trade coffee and discourages the cultivation of new hybrids that were developed to grow well in direct sun and produce higher yields with the use of chemical fertilizers, resulting in the systematic destruction of large areas of forest including songbird habitat.

An underlying premise of The Songbird Foundation's work is that individual coffee purchasing choices can have a significant impact in preserving songbird habitat. The Songbird Foundation also works with other organizations to develop a certification process for shade-grown, organic coffee.

TRANS FAIR USA

A non-profit organization, Trans Fair USA is part of the Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International and works to empower farmers and farm workers through investments in their farms and in the broader communities. Trans Fair USA is the only third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States.

SMITHSONIAN MIGRATORY BIRD CENTER

As part of the Smithsonian Institution, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center encourages coffee farmers to grow shade-grown, Bird Friendly® coffee which comes from coffee plants/coffee beans grown beneath a canopy of trees.

The Smithsonian suggests a definition of Shade-Grown coffee to include organically grown Fair Trade coffee plants that are shaded by a canopy of mixed native trees, and also outlines other specific criteria that must be met for a coffee to be designated (certified) as Bird Friendly® coffee.

The bird-friendly concept emphasizes the importance of shaded (canopied) areas to the health of the coffee farmers and the environment including native wildlife, particularly the migratory songbird populations of Central America.

The Shade-Grown, Bird Friendly Coffee growing method conserves biodiversity, is healthier for coffee farmers, protects waterways and water sources, decreases potential for soil erosion, and eliminates chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In addition, properly shade-grown Bird Friendly Coffee cherry (fruit) ripen slower and produce a higher quality coffee bean.

The Bird Friendly Seal of Approval program also encourages traditional coffee plant varietals as well as new coffee varietals that are naturally resistant to pests and diseases.

Other goals include controlling pollution at coffee mills and achieving fair and stable coffee prices for farmers as well as good housing and health care.

ALTERNATIVE TRADING ORGANIZATIONS (ATO)

Typically non-government organizations (NGOs) that are aligned with Fair Trade programs with the goal of raising awareness among consumers and helping marginalized producers receive higher prices and better marketing for their products to help eliminate poverty and improve living conditions in coffee farming communities whiles also promoting health and safety, sustainable practices, and preservation of the natural environment.

With Fair Trade programs at the core of their mission and objectives the Alternative Trading Organizations emphasize the power of collective action in achieving trade justice.

Alternative Trade Organizations integrally associated with the Fair Trade movement include TransFair USA, TransFair Canada, Fairtrade Labelling Organization International, Oxfam International, International Federation for Alternative Trade (IFAT), Fair Trade Federation, and Equal Exchange.

TRANSFAIR CANADA

The national Fair Trade Certification organization of Canada, TransFair Canada is a non-profit organization and Canada's only Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International member. They work with companies as well as citizens and community groups to promote Fair Trade Certified products.

TransFair Canada is involved with the certification of Canadian Fair Trade products to ensure they meet the international Fair Trade standards once they enter Canada.

TransFair Canada is also involved with the licensing of Canadian companies who wish to sell Fair Trade products and ensuring they adhere to strict-use standards and maintain the integrity of the Fair Trade principles. Fees paid by these companies fund TransFair Canada.

TRANSFAIR USA

A non-profit organization, TransFair USA has been operating since 1999 and is member of Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International and works to empower farmers and farm workers through investments in their farms and in the broader communities. Trans Fair USA is the only third-party certifier of Fair Trade Certified products in the United States.

TransFair USA promotes community empowerment and sustainable development by working to help coffee farmers and industry workers as well as consumers while also working to preserve the environment.

As part of their mission, TransFair USA audits transactions between international suppliers of coffee products and the United States companies that market those products to ensure the US companies pay a price that is above market price.

TransFair USA plays an important role in the United States coffee industry because Fair Trade products are one of the fastest growing segments of the gourmet coffee/premium coffee industry.

TransFair has leveraged more than 300 million pounds of coffee into the United States from Africa, Asia, and Latin America in the last decade increasing revenues to coffee farming communities by more than 140 million dollars.

Money is also invested in community projects including schools and healthcare as well as efforts to improve the quality of the coffee being grown.

EQUAL EXCHANGE

Working to ensure fair trading of food products, Equal Exchange is a worker owned co-op based in Massachusetts. Equal Exchange builds trade partnerships to promote sustainable and organic methods that benefits farmers as well as consumers and the environment.

Equal Exchange has established a “Bringing Fair Trade Home” program that partners with workers and small farmer co-ops as well as consumers and retailers in North America to promote and sell Fair Trade Certified products including coffee. The group also facilitates the granting of credit to producer organizations.

FAIR TRADE FEDERATION (FTF)

A North American trade association, the Fair Trade Federation works to promote the organizations fully committed to the Fair Trade movement.

Activities of the Fair Trade Federation include building sustainable and equitable trading partnerships, improving the lives of farmers and the environment, and alleviating poverty.

The group was founded by alternative trade organizations which had been begun meeting in the 1970s at annual conferences and then joined together in 1994 to incorporate as the North American Alternative Trade Organization (NAATO), which in 1995 became the Fair Trade Federation.

The Fair Trade Federation is also a member of the World Fair Trade Organization.

WORLD FAIR TRADE ORGANIZATION (WFTO)

Considered a global authority on Fair Trade, the World Fair Trade Organization is comprised of member organizations that are committed to Fair Trade principles including the Ten Standards of Fair Trade.

The World Fair Trade Organization is a global network that is involved at all stages from production to sale of products. The group also represents the Fair Trade movement in various arenas including at the G8 summit, while also representing grassroots farmers.

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION FOR ALTERNATIVE TRADE (International Fair Trade Association; IFAT)

The International Federation for Alternative Trade was formed in 1989 and is an international network of Fair Trade organizations working to promote Fair Trade.

The International Federation for Alternative Trade, also known as the International Fair Trade Association, includes more than 350 members groups in over 70 countries.

Members include producer co-operatives importers, exporters, retailers, regional and national Fair Trade networks and support organizations, and financial institutions.

The International Federation for Alternative Trade works to improve the lives of producers including farmers by developing the international market for Fair Trade products, monitoring to ensure Fair Trade standards are being met, and advocating to increase Fair Trade consumption as well as commerce.

The International Federation for Alternative Trade also hosts a biennial international conference.

ARTISANS DU MONDE (Federation Artisans du Monde)

A non-profit network of Fair Trade associations in France, Artisans du Monde was founded in 1974 and today includes 170 associations that manage Fair Trade shops, called Worldshops, and work to raise awareness through educational activities represented and coordinated by Artisans du Monde.

Federation Artisans du Monde owns a majority of the capital in the Fair Trade corporation SolidarMonde which supplies most of the products that are sold in the Worldshops. Federation Artisans du Monde is also a member of the World Fair Trade Association.

WORLDSHOPS

Retail shops, often non-profit organizations run by local volunteer networks, that specialize in providing Fair Trade products and promoting the Fair Trade concept.

Worldshops also engage in organizing and providing educational activities and are active in promoting trade justice including advocating for change through voting and the political process.

Most Worldshops are found in Europe but there are also many in North America, New Zealand, and Australia.

SOLIDAR'MONDE

A Fair Trade corporation that supplies most of the products sold in the Worldshops of the Artisans Du Monde. Also see Alternative Trading Organizations.

FAIR TRADE ORIGINAL

After incorporating in 1959, Fair Trade Original founded a development trade initiative that has now been adopted worldwide.

The Fair Trade Original concept ensures that companies, craftspeople, and farmers who have appropriate social policies are able to access the export markets. This creates employment that improves producer communities and also creates socially-conscious European consumers.

Fair Trade Original was originally known as the Support for Underdeveloped Regions Foundation, later called Support of Development Regions Foundation, initially supplying milk powder to malnourished children in the country of Sicily.

By the early 1970s products were offered for sale and subsidiaries had been established in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland with warehouses in the Netherlands. In 1973 the group began selling coffee from Guatemala.

In 1994 the shops were named Fair Trade Shops and products were marketed under the brand name Fair Trade. Fair Trade Original now serves as a wholesaler that sells products to Fair Trade Shop, Worldshops, mainstream supermarkets and other shops.

Fair Trade Original also sponsors food safety training courses for producers and supports product development and methodology as well as logistics and marketing.

Fair Trade Original helped to initiate the Max Havelaar Seal of Approval (now part of Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International) to provide verification that stringent Fair Trade guidelines are met.

In 2006 Fair Trade Original introduced a new Fair Trade Original brand name. Fair Trade Original is a member of the European Fair Trade Association.

FAIR TRADE SHOPS

Shops selling products associated with the Fair Trade movement. See Fair Trade Original; Artisans Du Monde.

EUROPEAN FAIR TRADE ASSOCIATION

Established in 1987 by well-established Fair Trade importers, the European Fair Trade Association was formalized as an organization in 1990.

The European Fair Trade Association is based in the Netherlands and comprised of eleven Fair Trade importers in nine European countries including France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Spain. Goals include supporting the member organizations in various ways.

The database of European Fair Trade Association suppliers and their products is maintained by the organization and called Fairdata.