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Fair Trade is a comprehensive approach to sustainable development that improves lives and protects the planet.

In the past 12 years, Fair Trade USA and our many partners have generated $220 million in additional income for farmers and workers in the developing world and placed nearly 10,000 Fair Trade Certified products on store shelves across the nation. We’re excited to build on this strong foundation to bring even greater impact to farming communities.

According to the World Bank, there are still more than 2 billion people living on less than $2 (USD) a day. We find that this figure is as shocking as it is morally challenging. There are so many people; so many communities in desperate need. While we recognize that Fair Trade is not the complete solution for everyone who struggles with poverty, we do believe that Fair Trade can and must do more.

Our new vision—Fair Trade for All—is an innovation strategy that will double U.S. sales for Fair Trade producers by 2015. This bold new vision will:

• Strengthen farming communities by investing in cooperatives and partnering with others to provide more impact

• Innovate the Fair Trade model to include more people in more communities around the world

• Ignite consumer involvement to increase awareness and sales in order to build the Fair Trade movement

Learn more about the Fair Trade for All innovation strategy.

FROM VISION TO REALITY

In the short-term little will change for producers or business partners. Over time, Fair Trade USA will introduce innovations that will extend the benefits of Fair Trade to millions more farmers and workers.  U.S. businesses will have more supply options, offering them more opportunities to do more good for more people. We will also invest more to drive consumer awareness in the United States, which will increase awareness and sales of Fair Trade Certified products and generate significantly more impact for Fair Trade producers.

To make Fair Trade for All a reality we need to be able to innovate in ways that work for producers and the U.S. market.  We have realized that while FLO and Fair Trade USA share the same mission, we have differing perspectives on how to reach our goals. Therefore, Fair Trade USA is separating from the FLO membership network. We are working on transition plans that will maintain continuity for producers and business partners.