Fair Trade USA Expertise
SOCIAL EXPERTISE.
Fair Trade USA explicitly refers to the importance of establishing a workers committee in order to secure that farm workers' voices are included in the decision making on the Fair Trade USA certified production site. According to Fair Trade USA, workers committees play an important role in creating empowerment and improved working conditions for farmers in a democratic manner, and it provides an opportunity to make own decisions on what the premium is used for. Maria, who works at Ipanema Coffees, hopes that the premium earned at Ipanema Coffees will lead to better access to health facilities, and if they manage to set up functional workers' committees it is through that channel that she should request it. The interview was conducted by Miguel Zamora, who is employed by Fair Trade USA. He has made a number of videos, where he interviews workers at the plantations from the Fair Trade for All campaign. Part of the Fair Trade for All campaign is the strengthening of farming communities through their Co-op Links program, by linking co-ops found all over the supply chain and this is to help cooperatives in the producing end increase productivity, access capital cost-effectively and thus become better business partners. Fair Trade USA has entered into partnerships with organizations such as the World Bank and Avina Foundation to deliver educational support to smallholders and farmers working on certified plantations. |
"OUR VISION IS THAT WORKERS ARE ABLE TO BUILD INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE ASSETS AND IMPROVE THEIR EFFECTIVENESS AND PARTICIPATION ON THE FARMS FOR WHICH THEY WORK. SPECIFICALLY, WORKERS ARE ABLE TO REPRESENT THEMSELVES EFFECTIVELY IN THEIR NEGOTIATIONS WITH MANAGEMENT FOR IMPROVED WORKING CONDITIONS, AS WELL AS PARTNER WITH FARM MANAGEMENT TO INCREASE EMPOWERMENT OF ALL WORKERS" - FAIR TRADE USA |
ECONOMIC EXPERTISE
Generally Fair Trade USA is referring to national laws when speaking about the economic standards for fair trade. Workers thus must be paid the minimum wage of the country and their basic facilities must be granted in accordance to the national labour law. The latter is supposed to be granted through organised handling of "the social premium", being the extra financial benefit a production site receives when they become fair trade certified. Futhermore, Fair Trade USA underlines the importance of building steady trade relationships with fair trade labelled organisations.
On the website, numerous Fair Trade USA publications show the economic impacts of their fair trade initiatives.
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERTISE
According to their key principles, "the most toxic chemicals are not used and there are no GMO's" in Fair Trade USA-certified products. However, the principles does not refer to the scientific expertise behind the notions of toxicity. In addition, Fair Trade USA highlights that certified producers develop "strategic approaches" in management of pest, agrochemicals and waste.in their production.
LEGISLATIVE EXPERTISE
The standards of Fair Trade USA underline that standards must comply with local national laws and the UN's Human Rights. Hence, the standards for minimum wage, labour rights, child labour and discrimination all refer to these sets of laws. In addition, the standards have more arbitrary laws; for example the demand that producer organisations must have workers committee; a so called joint body.
Generally Fair Trade USA is referring to national laws when speaking about the economic standards for fair trade. Workers thus must be paid the minimum wage of the country and their basic facilities must be granted in accordance to the national labour law. The latter is supposed to be granted through organised handling of "the social premium", being the extra financial benefit a production site receives when they become fair trade certified. Futhermore, Fair Trade USA underlines the importance of building steady trade relationships with fair trade labelled organisations.
On the website, numerous Fair Trade USA publications show the economic impacts of their fair trade initiatives.
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERTISE
According to their key principles, "the most toxic chemicals are not used and there are no GMO's" in Fair Trade USA-certified products. However, the principles does not refer to the scientific expertise behind the notions of toxicity. In addition, Fair Trade USA highlights that certified producers develop "strategic approaches" in management of pest, agrochemicals and waste.in their production.
LEGISLATIVE EXPERTISE
The standards of Fair Trade USA underline that standards must comply with local national laws and the UN's Human Rights. Hence, the standards for minimum wage, labour rights, child labour and discrimination all refer to these sets of laws. In addition, the standards have more arbitrary laws; for example the demand that producer organisations must have workers committee; a so called joint body.
FAIR TRADE FOR ALL - THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW STANDARD
Following the launch of the 2011 "Fair Trade for All"-campaign, Fair Trade USA is by October 2014 merging it's existing Independent Smallholders Standards and Farm Workers Standard into one single Agricultural Production Standard.
The paper for this standard gives a thorough insight to which processes new standards are developed, negotiated and reviewed through. A simplified version of the process (a more extensive one is found in the paper) can be understood as:
1) Initiate standard review process
6) Publication of new Agricultural Standard
Following the launch of the 2011 "Fair Trade for All"-campaign, Fair Trade USA is by October 2014 merging it's existing Independent Smallholders Standards and Farm Workers Standard into one single Agricultural Production Standard.
The paper for this standard gives a thorough insight to which processes new standards are developed, negotiated and reviewed through. A simplified version of the process (a more extensive one is found in the paper) can be understood as:
1) Initiate standard review process
- The existing standards are reviewed internally in Fair Trade USA. "Strategic questions" are identified in order to make a draft for the new standard.
- The Standards Advisory Committee is a panel including "experts from a wide range of backgrounds" who will guide Fair Trade USA in developing the most appropriate standards and means to implement them. The Advisory Committee will be a key partner of expertise throughout the development and management of the new standard.
- The identified "strategic questions" are discussed by the experts of the Advisory Committee and "key stakeholders" (business partners etc). This will result in a first draft of the new standards.
- Consultation: In accordance with ISEAL's (an international standardisation reviewer, which role in the controversy are further discussed here) Code of Good Practice for Setting Environmental and Social Standards, the first draft of the standards are published for an "open consultation" so that lay men, NGO's and all other possible stakeholders can add inputs and comments at will.
- Review: Throughout the period of public consulting, stakeholder inputs from the "open consultation" will continuously be reviewed by the Advisory Committee and Fair Trade USA's Standards Team. In the reviews the inputs in relation to the first draft are discussed.
- Field-testing: Simultaneously, the first draft of the standard is tested in different pilot-field, meaning that the impact of the new standard is measured in a few fair trade certified production sites.
- The Standards Team and the Advisory Committee make the final review of the first draft based upon the inputs through phase 4. Thus, they will give recommendations to the Senior Management Team of Fair Trade USA regarding the content of the new standard.
6) Publication of new Agricultural Standard
- The Senior Management Team is responsible for the publication and translation of the new standard. Already certified producers will have 6-12 months to comply with the new standard.