Main Navigation

Main Navigation

Why Fairtrade

Products

For Business

Get Involved

Activism

Our projects & programs

From leadership skills to consumer awareness and climate resilience: There is a wide range of projects and programs taking place across the world to make fairness the new normal. We do this via strategic partnerships with private companies, governments, research institutions and civil society organizations.

  • 150
    Projects and programs implemented to date.
Working around the globe

Stronger together

We actively work with partners to implement programs and projects worldwide and maximize our impact.

Projects versus Programs – where is the difference?

In the realm of Fairtrade, the distinction between projects and programmes serves as a key organisational strategy. A project is typically a finite, targeted initiative designed to achieve a specific objective within a specified timeframe. These endeavors can span various themes, ranging from enhancing working conditions in a particular production facility to instigating educational initiatives for workers or introducing eco-friendly farming practices. Projects have a clear commencement and conclusion, tailored to address specific needs.

What does that mean for a company? 

A 'Project' is a collaborative initiative aimed at strengthening your supply chain. Key focuses include ensuring living wages, child protection, organizational development, gender equality, environmental sustainability, and dignified work.

MODALITIES:

Joint Development: Selection of supply chains, themes and countries is a collaborative effort.

  • Resource Mobilization: Financial support of at least €50,000 per year for three years, along with assistance in securing co-investments.
  • Progress Reports: Transparent and regular reporting on project advancement.
  • Communication: Open communication with optional on-pack communication as agreed upon.

A "Project" aims to instigate positive changes in the supply chain and enhance e.g.  a company's social and environmental responsibility.

On the other hand, a program as described beforehand, takes on a more comprehensive and enduring role. It often involves a strategic, long-term approach that may encompass multiple interrelated projects. Programs are formulated to address overarching goals or thematic areas, such as the promotion of sustainable supply chains, gender equality, or environmental protection. Unlike projects, programs extend over an extended period, involving ongoing efforts aimed at fostering enduring transformations.

In essence, projects serve as specific, time-bound interventions, while programs represent a broader, sustained strategy to advance various facettes of Fairtrade. Frequently, projects operate within the framework of a larger program, contributing to the cohesive achievement of overarching goals.

Programs for impact

To develop programs, which deliver maximum impact we consult with smallholder farmers and workers (particularly women and young people) to understand their needs and design effective tailormade solutions. We build strategic partnerships to complement our expertise and impact with private sector companies, governments, research institutions and civil society organizations. To date, we have implemented more than 150 projects around the world to make fairness the new normal. We are leveraging this experience to scale up and deliver more innovative and system-changing programs.
Learn more about our main areas of work
Two men standing next to a crate of cocoa beans

What Fairtrade programs offer

  • Programs consisting of several projects and components fostering:
  1. Large-scale and sustainable change for farmers, workers and their communities while strengthening their businesses/enterprises
  2. Support for Fairtrade’s portfolio projects at thematic level, selected country focus, selected supply chain focus or other options
  • Robust project management stemming from expertise in managing a portfolio of projects valued at over €20 million:
  • Monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning through impact-based monitoring tools, annual financial audits, internal and external evaluations, impact assessments and producer-led feedback loops
  • Strong localization and producer ownership
  • Opportunities to tackle salient human rights and environmental risks in supply chains
  • Scalability and replication through regional Fairtrade producer networks
  • Cost effectiveness and value for money assured through system-wide coordination

The Climate Academy

The Fairtrade Climate Academy is a farmer-centred training package that focuses especially on the next generation of farmers, boosting their climate and environmental knowledge and increasing their understanding of the links between production and carbon emissions and biodiversity. The objective of the Fairtrade Climate Academy is to make farmers more resilient to climate change and their production more environmentally sustainable. The Academy equips and upskills smallholder farmers to tackle climate change and its causes by adopting more sustainable agricultural practices and alternative energy sources.
Climate Academy Fairtrade

The Women’s School of Leadership

When working with small-scale producer organizations, our holistic program covers three spheres of intervention: at individual level through leadership schools, at organizational level through internal buy-in, and at sectoral level through advocacy. At individual level, our women’s leadership school projects train, mentor and coach cooperative members and strengthen leadership skills in order to foster greater understanding of and commitment to tackling gender challenges at local level. Women and men gain knowledge and skills for personal development, and to help them adopt gender equality practices – including studying concepts of masculinity, leadership, human rights, income diversification, project management, strategic negotiation, financial management and entrepreneurship. Graduates of the leadership school are supported to pursue alternative income generation activities, set up village savings and loan schemes, and maintain peer support groups for motivational and mentoring exchanges. To date, these projects have been implemented with 61 producer organizations in 16 countries.
Female producers husking cocoa at a Fairtrade cooperative in Côte d’Ivoire.