As a brand, trust is one of the hardest and most valuable things to build with customers but it’s fragile and can also be gone in an instant.

Brand loyalty is in decline

Long gone are the days where consumers would take a brand’s promise at face value. In some parts of the world, customer experience is also at an all-time low according to Forrester, and distrust in the media, corporations, and government is high with many consumers walking away. A recent customer loyalty survey found that about one out of four consumers stopped buying from a specific business because of reasons, such as price, service, and ethics.

Shoppers, who are now bombarded with marketing and advertising on and offline, are questioning what they see and hear more than ever before. They are holding brands accountable for their actions and scrutinising every claim.

So, what does all this have to do with Fairtrade?

When it comes to ethical labels, it’s a cluttered world out there, each with their own criteria.

As a long-standing certification system, Fairtrade has built trust over more than three decades. The word “fair” is in our name and at the heart of everything we do, and what we are known for throughout the world.

Today, we are the most visible and trusted ethical label

This is according to the recently released GlobeScan survey.

Three out of four shoppers recognise the Fairtrade label and 83 percent, or about eight in ten shoppers, who recognise the label trust it.

We don’t take this for granted. In fact, it motivates us to keep going, and to also keep doing better.

The high level of trust is also why other brands choose to partner with us. For the past 30 years, Fairtrade built its consumer trust thanks to its social, economic, and environmental standards. And all Fairtrade certified organisations are regularly audited against these standards by an independent certifier.

We’re the only certification system to set minimum prices for major commodities -  an essential safety net for producers. We also offer the Fairtrade Premium, an extra sum of money on top of the selling price that producer organisations can use for community development projects including education, healthcare, or infrastructure, are also highly important.

Plus, Fairtrade is the only global sustainability standard where farmers and workers have the same weight in decision making. We don’t cut corners - our partners know this, and so do consumers.

The strength of our brand extends to the brands who partner with us

When we partner with other brands, they also benefit from the high trust consumers have in Fairtrade. So, it’s no surprise, that almost three out of four consumers said the Fairtrade label has a positive impact on the brands that carry it. And one of three consumers said removing the Fairtrade label would negatively impact their impression of a brand.

And with high trust also comes loyalty, despite the current cost-of-living crisis. The survey found that 60 percent of shoppers are willing to pay slightly more for products because of Fairtrade’s clear strong social values and the positive impact on farmers and workers. People want to contribute to doing good and making the world a fairer place.

By choosing to partner with Fairtrade, companies are choosing the strongest certification system in the market. They are choosing to stand for a fairer world and a fairer global trade system, where producers are paid fairly and have good working conditions.

And with that comes consumer trust. The choice is clear: join the hundreds of brands who work with Fairtrade, and the more than 37,000 products already contributing to a fairer world.

Learn more about how to partner with Fairtrade

This could be either as a Fairtrade licensee to use our mark of your products or getting Fairtrade certified if you are a producer, trader, importer, exporter, or manufacturer.

Together, let's make fair trade the norm, not the exception.