EQUITABLE

Main organizations of equitable trade in France

One currently distinguishes 2 types of dies: integrated dies and labellized dies. For the integrated dies, all the actors are concerned with the equitable trade (producers, exporter, distributor). It is the case of Craftsmen of the World and the members of Minga.
As for the labellized die, the production presents the criteria of the equitable trade and, for this reason, receives a label but the distribution relates to all the sales outlets of which large surfaces. It is the case of Max Havelaar.

Craftsmen federation of the World

The first shop carrying the Artisans ensign of the World opened in 1974 in Paris in the 9th district. Thereafter, other Artisans groups of the World constituted, opened stores to sell the foodstuff artisanal or manufactured by their partners of the South.
Then the Movement Craftsmen of the World was structured while creating in 1982 a Craftsmen Federation of the World with for mission of developing the Movement and of ensuring the unit of it. This Federation initiated in 1984 the installation of an purchasing group Solidar' Monde which takes up the commercial duties (purchase with the producers, importation and taking out of bond, wholesale). Currently, there exists more than 160 Artisans sales outlets of the World.
In addition to the sale, the Federation mobilizes its members to lead campaigns publicity to the equitable trade and to announce the opinion campaigns (or pleas) in progress.
Its site publishes the statutory texts published recently like their press releases. Certain important texts (in format .pdf) are downloadable since this site.
www.artisansdumonde.org

Max Havelaar

The Max Havelaar label was born into 1988 in the Netherlands in order to certify the coffee sold by the equitable circuit. In 1992, three French associations, Interdependent people, Engineers without Borders and CICDA (Center International of Co-operation for the Agricultural Development), create association Max Havelaar France with the mission of promoting the equitable trade.
Click here for complete information.
Association manages the Max Havelaar label which certifies the respect of the international standards of equitable trade. These standards are defined by FLO and are controlled by FLO CERT. It ensures the outlets for trade. The Max Havelaar label is affixed on more than 900 products. It is present in 58 producer countries and 21 consumer countries.
The Max Havelaar labeled products are sold as well in shops specialized as in the large ones and average surfaces.
www.maxhavelaarfrance.org

Platform for the Equitable trade

Created in 1997, the Platform for Equitable trade (PFCE) is a national collective of dialogue and representation of actors of French equitable trade. Currently the PFCE gathers 31 institutions (organizations of equitable trade, structures which support the step as well as associations of interdependent tourism). The list of its members is consultable on his site.
Its objectives: to promote and defend the equitable trade; to work on the guarantee schemes; to be the interlocutor of the Public authorities.
The PFCE published a charter of the equitable trade in 2001 (consultable on its site).
www.commercequitable.org

MINGA

Minga association, created in 1999, gathers natural persons and structures - more than 100 to date.
The members of the Minga network defend a “universal equitable trade”. For them, the equity of the product owes beings assured throughout its die. This is why they are opposed so that the equitable products are sold in large surfaces. In addition, they think that the equitable trade is not only one business between producers underprivileged of the countries of the South and consuming the North but which it can apply to exchanges local between producers and consuming the same area. For this reason Minga disputes the reference document of AFNOR (published in January 2006) which takes into account only the equitable trade South-North.
www.minga.net

The organizations coordinators at the European or world level

EFTA - European Fair Trade Association

European association of Equitable trade
Created in 1990, the EFTA gathers 12 European Federations in 9 European countries (of which Solidar' Monde in France). The EFTA intervenes on the level of the international regulation of the commercial exchanges, by proposing policies in favour of the countries of the South. It acts in particular by opinion campaigns (pleas) near the political authorities to soften European protectionism with regard to exports of the countries of the South.
It facilitates the information exchanges, the mutualisation of the means and the product imports and takes care of the compliance with the rules of the equitable trade
More: www.european-fair-trade-association.org

IFAT - International Fair Trade Association

International association of Equitable trade
The IFAT, association created in 1989, gathering 300 members in more than 70 countries is a world network of the organizations of equitable trade with the double mission: to improve the living conditions of the producers most handicapped by promoting the organizations of equitable trade and to make emerge more justice in the world commercial exchanges. It gathers 220 organizations in 59 countries: groups of producers, organizations of alternative trade and other operators of the equitable trade of Africa, of Asia, of Australia, of Europe, of Japan, of North America and South.
In January 2004, the IFAT launched FTO (Fair Trade Organization), a mark identifying the organizations of equitable trade. Craftsmen of the World, member of the IFAT since 2002, is recipient of mark FTO.
A Europe group - IFAT Europe - was made up in 2006.
www.ifat.org

FLO (Fairtrade Labelling Organization International)

Created 1997, organization FLO federates 20 national initiatives in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Great Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the USA, under the names Max Havelaar, Fairtrade and Transfair. It is the only international agency of certification of the equitable trade.
In 2004, the organization is divided into two. FLO Standards centralizes all the data, defines the productive and commercial standards equitable trade, gives a support for the producers in various forms (commercial, technical, financial, council, formations…) As regards communication, FLO completes a very important work of information and sensitizing; FLO CERT, company of private law, is in charge of controls and the audits near the co-operatives, the plantations, the importers and the dealers.
FLO defines the international standards by product and guarantees the few 20 labels of equitable trade. The schedule of conditions is defined in dialogue with solidarity associations international, the trade unions, consumers' associations, of the representatives of 500 profit producer associations of labels.
FLO CERT checks the application of the standards near the organizations of producers and of the various economic actors.
FINE - FINE=FLO+IFAT+NEWS+EFAT
Work group gathering the four structures above in order to harmonize the whole of the organizations of equitable trade. This group, amongst other things, agreed on a definition of the acceptable equitable trade by each structure.
More: www.fairtrade.net

http://www.worldshops.org/