Mapping the value of fairtrade

Traders are key actors in the Fairtrade system, as it is through their trading practices that producer organisations in the Global South are linked with consumers in the Global North. Ultimately many producer level impacts, including the amount of Fairtrade Premium available, depend on volumes sold on Fairtrade terms. These terms are reached by consumer purchases, but these purchases are possible only because certified traders, licensees and brands are committed to purchasing their raw materials and product according to Fairtrade terms. However, these market dynamics are not well understood, particularly those that determine the form and size of business engagement with the Fairtrade System. This report presents the results of a study undertaken in 2020 on the impact that Fairtrade had on businesses and Fairtrade consumer markets for bananas, cocoa, and coffee in the Global North. Commissioned by Fairtrade International, in collaboration with a number of National Fairtrade Organisations (NFO) and Fairtrade Marketing Organisations (FMO) and with financial support from the European Union (EU), it sought to explore: how Fairtrade might maximize demand and positive producer impact through its supply chain and business engagement? The results presented in this report are based on quantitiative analysis of a database of 932 certified traders and licencees, and semi-structured interviews with certified traders, licensees, employees of Fairtrade organisations and consumer experts in six European Countries (Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom). These primary data are triangulated with secondary data from four different domains of the Fairtrade System: the producer domain, the business domain, the consumer domain, the standards/certification domain. We also conducted participant observations and informal interviews during trade fairs.