Fairtrade Mark
The International Fairtrade Certification Mark is an independent consumer Mark which appears on products as an independent guarantee that disadvantaged producers in the developing world are getting a better deal.
Fairtrade labelled coffee, the first Fairtrade labelled product, was first launched in the Netherlands in 1989. The label, then called Max Havelaar after a fictional Dutch character who opposed the exploitation of coffee pickers in Dutch colonies, offered mainstream coffee industry players the opportunity to adopt a standardized system of Fairtrade criteria.
The concept caught on: within years, similar Fairtrade labelling organizations such as the Fairtrade Foundation, TransFair and Rättvisemarkt, emerged across Europe and North America in an effort to follow Max Havelaar’s footsteps and boost Fairtrade sales. The organizations, who launched their own campaigns and Certifications marks, operated independently.
In 1997, these organizations created Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO), an umbrella organization whose mission is to set the Fairtrade standards, support, inspect and certify disadvantaged producers and harmonize the Fairtrade message across the movement.
In 2002, FLO launched a new international Fairtrade Certification Mark. The goals of the launch were to improve the visibility of the Mark on supermarket shelves, convey a dynamic, forward-looking image for Fairtrade, facilitate cross border trade and simplify procedures for fresh fruit growers. The system of Fairtrade has always been about global relationships and global standards of fairness - these were recognised for the first time with an international Fairtrade Certification Mark.
The Fairtrade Certification Mark harmonization process is still under way – as of June 2006, all but three National Initiatives (namely Transfair USA, Transfair Canada and Max Havelaar Switzerland) have adopted the new international Certification Mark. Full transition to the new Mark should become reality as it gradually replaces the old Certification Marks at various speeds in various countries.