Building Trust in Fair Trade 

In the early stages of the growth of fair trade, consumers of fair trade products knew the importers and distributors personally. The guarantee that those goods had been purchased on the basis of certain ethical principles was essentially, therefore, a question of trust between acquaintances. As a result of fair trade’s growth, the direct and personal link between producers and consumers has often been broken. 

While the IFAT Code of Practice continues to provide the basic philosophy and core principles of FTOs, the assurance that fair trade standards are being met by the members has become essential for the continued growth of fair trade. IFAT members have therefore developed a set of common standards for all Fair Trade Organizations, and a monitoring system to help its members show that they meet these standards.

The IFAT system aims to be comprehensive and clear, but also friendly. It takes into account the daily reality of its member organizations. It tries to avoid heavy (and one-way) reporting but also to capture the qualities of an organization that can be difficult to measure. It emphasises learning and improvement: it is a process that is owned by the participants.

More info at www.ifat.org/monitoring.shtml