Standards work in progress

New Fairtrade standards are set and existing standards are reviewed on a regular basis.* This process involves wide consultation with stakeholders.

484 Sugar Cane Cart 870
A farmer loads sugar cane onto his cart.
Image © Didier Gentilhomme

In the Standards and Pricing Unit workplan you can find at a glance all ongoing and planned projects of the current year. More detailed information on specific projects is published below.

Click a project's name in the list to view the relevant information.

To know more about our pilot projects specifically, refer to our Fairtrade Pilots dedicated page.

  • Project assignments provide details on project start and end, project objectives and central contact person within Fairtrade International. You are invited to comment on these project assignments through the project assignment feedback form.
  • Project profiles provide similar information as the project assignments, but at a higher level of detail.
  • Public consultation documents present the draft standard to the public for comments within a given time period. Stakeholders interested in taking part in the standard setting or review process are invited to submit their feedback using the formats offered by Fairtrade International.
  • Consultation feedback summaries provide the main results of a consultation process once it has been closed and explain how these results where taken into account for the next draft version of the standard.

Ongoing Standards projects


*In an effort to ensure that we are addressing the products and supply chains most important to our producers, Fairtrade has developed 30+ standards. While we strive to review and revise our standards regularly, as needed, we are guided by our Fairtrade Strategy, demands from stakeholders and available resources to decide which review projects are undertaken every year. Given the resources available, we are not able to review all standards every five years. Fairtrade Standards and Pricing bi-annually prioritizes standards that are due for review and revision. According to the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards, standards are to be reviewed regularly (at least every five years). If the review concludes that changes to the standard are required, then a standards revision is to be carried out. The scope of the ISEAL code does not apply to the development of the Fairtrade Minimum Prices and Premiums. The five year review best practice is also reflected in our own Standard Operating Procedure for Standard Setting, and we will continue to strive to improve our lead times for standards review.