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Fairtrade International logo
Fairtrade International
Global · Tier 3 Specialty
EU Ecolabel (Flower) logo
EU Ecolabel (Flower)
European Union · Tier 3 Specialty
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'Natural' (NOT a certification)
Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing
What it meansCertifies fair prices and conditions for producers in developing countries — not organic, not environmental. Common on coffee, cocoa, sugar, bananas, tea.The European Commission's voluntary environmental label. Covers cleaning products, paper, textiles, electronics, accommodation services. NOT an organic mark.The word 'natural' on packaging is a marketing term, not a certification. In most jurisdictions there's no legal definition, no standard, and no inspection. A product labelled 'natural' can contain synthetic ingredients, pesticides, GMOs, and artificial flavours.
ScopeFoodSeveral categoriesSeveral categories
Established19971992—
InspectionAnnual on-site by FLOCERT (independent of Fairtrade International)Annual audit by national Ecolabel competent bodyNone
Residue testingNot for organic — Fairtrade alone doesn't test residuesPer-category limitsNone
Guarantees
  • Minimum price floors for producer cooperatives.
  • Fairtrade Premium paid into community-development funds.
  • Bans on the worst forms of child and forced labour.
  • Producer organisations must be small-farmer cooperatives or hired-labour plantations meeting standards.
  • Lifecycle-based environmental criteria per product category.
  • Restrictions on hazardous chemicals.
  • Annual licence renewal with audit.
  • Nothing. It is not a certification and there is no body verifying anything.
Does NOT
  • Doesn't mean organic — many Fairtrade products are conventionally grown. A separate Fairtrade-Organic dual certification exists.
  • Doesn't apply to food. Doesn't mean organic.
  • Doesn't mean organic. Doesn't mean pesticide-free. Doesn't mean GMO-free. Doesn't mean ethically produced.
  • Some markets (e.g. the US FDA on food, EU on cosmetics) place very limited restrictions on the word, but enforcement is weak.

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