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Fairtrade works for a better climate and environment

Our climate and nature are in crisis. Millions of farmers, workers, their families and communities already live with the impacts of climate change, extreme weather and biodiversity loss. Fairtrade works to address this.

coffee farmer
coffee farmer

A sustainable environment should be the norm. However, the severity, frequency, and intensity of meteorological events have been rising and affecting livelihoods worldwide.

Agricultural communities, whose livelihoods depend on farming, stand to lose income. Higher temperatures, drought, floods, storms, crop diseases, soil depletion and deforestation threaten future food security worldwide.

  • 12%
    reduction of crop yields is predicted by 2050
  • 50%
    of all land currently used for coffee farming may no longer be usable by 2050.
Climate and Environment

Fast facts

Here are a few facts about climate and environment worldwide.

How Fairtrade address climate change environmental challenges

  • Strong Standards

  • Expert farmers and workers

  • Fair prices

  • An approach rooted in agroecology

  • Advocacy

Deforestation

Deforestation is a driver of climate change and contributes to loss of biodiversity. The Fairtrade Standards have built in forest protection requirements – ones that meet or go beyond what is required in European Union regulations. Even more than that, Fairtrade offers support and financial benefits to producers – and works to tackle root causes of deforestation such as poverty – so they can play their part to farm sustainably and conserve forests. Click here for more information.
Read more

Agroecology

At Fairtrade, we have chosen agroecology as our overarching approach to sustainable agriculture. This is a holistic approach that is not just focused on environmental sustainability, but also emphasises the need for economic justice and social movements to transform food systems. It includes farming practices like organic farming, natural pest control and agroforestry to reduce reliance on synthetic inputs to enhance climate resilience, mitigate climate change and pre-serve biodiversity.
View our policy on sustainable agriculture
hands planting

“There is a chain on earth that starts where the producers are. They are the ones who suffer the consequences of climate change, the ones who get the least help, and carry all of the burden. It’s not fair.”

Bayardo Betanco, Fairtrade coffee farmer and member of the Prodecoop co-op, Nicaragua.

Become part of a sustainable supply chain

Climate change is one of the most significant challenges we face. Fairtrade helps farmers adapt, mitigate and become more resilient and supports businesses and consumers to be part of a more sustainable supply chain.
Be a part of it!
plantation

RESOURCES

Fairtrade sustainable agriculture policy External At a glance (2023); Baseline report (2023); Executive summary (2023)

Fairtrade, Fair Trade Advocacy Office and World Fair Trade Organization joint advocacy position for COP28

Fairtrade Partnership with Satelligence

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change