Fairtrade International released its 2023 Annual Report during its General Assembly which highlighted the organization’s key priorities and accomplishments, which include the progress made in sustainability issues including tackling deforestation human rights and living earnings.

In the title “Driving forward the agenda for fairness” this Annual Report highlights the achievements of the Fairtrade system as well as its partners during the year to date like its programs and initiatives to increase the benefits of more than two million people, including farmers and workers across 68 nations around the globe.

Fairtrade announced its first goal of shifting the power balance between the workers and farmers, which includes creating pathways for secure and sustainable incomes and building the capacity to withstand changes in climate, strengthening human rights and the environment as well as empowering women and youth in their roles as decision-makers.

In the past, Fairtrade Africa hosted the first industry summit led by producers regarding living wages that cocoa producers receive located in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire in 2023. Fairtrade also announced the initial Living Wage Reference Price for banana workers as part of an update to living wage, through which businesses ensure that they are making a fair contribution to. In addition, the introduction of three new living income reference prices in 2023 has helped Fairtrade achieve a total of 12 of these country-specific reference prices across four categories and 11 nations.

In terms of the development and advancement of technology, Fairtrade strengthened its existing connections, designed markets in new ways and also offered the supply chain with benefits for business and consumers. As an example, Fairtrade launched new services that help companies improve their due diligence procedures in assessing mitigation and resolving risks to human rights and the environment within their supply chain.

For market access, one instance can be found in one example is the Fairtrade Sustainable Banana project, which was funded through the French Development Agency and Carrefour. The project assisted Peruvian and Dominican producers to improve their market performance and resilientness by increasing climate-friendly farming methods (increased between 42 and 80 percent throughout the duration of the program) in addition to increasing the yields of their crops by 19 percent.

Fairtrade manufacturers are creating and selling their own brands locally and making consumers aware of the Fairtrade label. Through the European-Commission-funded SWITCH-Asia grant, more than 235 new sustainable Fairtrade-labelled food, fashion, and cosmetic products were launched in India, and sales of Fairtrade certified cotton products in the country increased by over 270 percent.

In the advocacy and involvement front, Fairtrade addressed a range of interconnected issues. These included the concept of living wages as part Corporate Due Diligence, forest degradation as well as climate resilience. Fairtrade fought for the European Union Corporate Social Responsibility Due Diligence Directive, which was passed in March of this year, to include living incomes, wages and responsible buying procedures, something that the adoption of the directive in early this year shows.

Click here for access to the report for 2023. Fairtrade International Annual Report.

For further information, click here.

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