Understanding fair trade

Fair trade seeks to transform the lives of poor producers in the developing world by enabling them to use their skills and resources to build sustainable livelihoods for themselves and their communities. It seeks to challenge injustices in trading structures and practices that so often lead to the exploitation and marginalisation of poor people.

Ethical trade is about achieving a basic minimum standard of ethical behaviour in trading relationships. Fair trade organisations, whilst supporting many of the principles behind ethical trade, go beyond this and aim to encourage the development of disadvantaged people in the poorer parts of the world.

"Fairtrade" is an accreditation, labelling system which certifies that products bearing the Fairtrade Mark meet a range of specific criteria. "Fair trade" expresses a rather wider vision of development, covering a much wider range of products than can be certified, and embracing campaigning and awareness raising activity, as well as trading in food products.