This standard applies to traders who buy and sell Fairtrade products, and/or handle the Fairtrade price and premium.
It defines rules around the product composition, traceability, use of
the Mark, to ensure that the Fairtrade Marks are credible.
It also includes requirements and voluntary best practices to ensure
that Fairtrade products are traded in fair and sustainable ways that
contribute to producer empowerment.
Principles underlying this Standard
Transparency: All terms and conditions of Fairtrade transactions are detailed in contracts signed by the producers and buyers.
Fair price: Producers receive at least a Fairtrade Minimum Price, which aims at covering average costs of sustainable production, or the market price, whichever is higher.
Fairtrade Premium: On top of the price, producers receive a Fairtrade Premium, which they can invest in their own development, according to their needs.
Market information for planning: Producers receive sourcing plans and information about market prospects, to enable them to better plan their activities.
Pre-finance: Producers have access to pre-finance, to help them fund their operations.
Trading with integrity: Operators along the Fairtrade supply chains do not engage in unfair trading practices.
Labour and environment: Traders in Fairtrade supply chains comply with labour and environmental law.
Standards related to use of materials from the Hazardous Materials List (HML)
Fairtrade International requires that all Fairtrade certified traders in addition to the Trader Standard are compliant with national law (page 5 of TS). In France in particular, the law requires that, in order for a trading relationship to be declared as Fair Trade, a trader must commit to source for three or more years from the same producers. This is to support cooperation, information sharing and joint planning, benefitting both parties, which is also in line with the voluntary best practice requirements in this Standard.
Download the Trader Standard
Current version
This Standard applies to all Fairtrade Traders as of 1 January 2025. For companies certified before this date, transition periods apply as specified in the Standard. This version supersedes all previous versions.
In addition to the Trader Standard above, companies which trade in
particular products (e.g. bananas) must also comply with the trader-specific criteria in the Fairtrade Standards for the relevant
products.
To accompany section 2.2 of the Trader Standard (product composition), Fairtrade has introduced an "Unavailable Fairtrade Ingredients List" to help producers of food composite products and food composite ingredients identify which ingredients are currently unavailable as Fairtrade.
