The Fairtrade Mark is an independent consumer label awarded in the UK by the Fairtrade Foundation. It guarantees that the product fulfils Fairtrade criteria.
The Fairtrade Mark is only available on those products which have internationally-agreed Fairtrade criteria attached to them. These criteria are developed by the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO). Most certifiable products are food products, and cotton has recently been added to the list.
The Fairtrade Mark can only be applied to products for which there are internationally agreed criteria. The list of products to which the Mark can be awarded is growing, but there are still many products (especially in the non-food categories) for which criteria have not been developed.
Developing fair trade criteria for new product-types takes time and money, especially if we are to ensure that Marked products really will benefit producers.
