FAIRTRADE / UTZ / RA JOINT STATEMENT
17.02.2011 - The world of sustainability is made of a variety of schemes that equally aspire to make production more beneficial to the environment and the people involved in agriculture. Fairtrade, the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN)/Rainforest Alliance and UTZ Certified have published a joint statement in which they communicate their shared goal to transform agriculture through certification and their respect for each other's work.
"We respect each other's missions and the unique focus each brings. We appreciate diversity in our approach, which enables producers, buyers and consumers to make a choice as to which certification best helps them meet their goals. We respect the complementary aspects of our work in moving towards sustainable agriculture and trade around the world. We believe we all have a task to fulfil and that together we work towards tackling unsustainable production and market practices, which we consider to be our main competition. We also share a commitment to high standards in our work, which is why we are all members of ISEAL, the global association for social and environmental standards which works with companies, non-profit organisations and governments to support their use of voluntary standards."
The statement also points out that co-existence of different - yet similar - certification schemes is actually a positive drive towards efficiency and creates an environment in which buyers and consumers have the opportunity to select the system - or a combination of systems - that best suits their interests and needs. In addition, it clarifies that Fairtrade, SAN/Rainforest Alliance and UTZ Certified are working together to reduce the level of complexity and costs for farmers, as well as to develop tools and materials to enable adherence to multiple standards.
Read the full Joint Statement (pdf, 174Kb)
