Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand
Encyclopedia
The Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand (FTAANZ) is a member-based advocacy organization that supports two systems of fair trade. The first (but not necessarily the most important) is the Australia
and New Zealand
member of FLO International, which unites 23 Fairtrade producer and labelling initiatives across Europe
, Asia
, Latin America
, North America
, Africa
, Australia
and New Zealand
. The second, as a member, is the World Fair Trade Organization
(WFTO), of over 450 world-wide members, to which FTAANZ is one. Fairtrade (one word) refers to FLO certified commodity products. Fair trade (two words) encompasses all fair trade products, including the trademarked Fairtrade commodities and other craft and commodities that are unable to join the aforementioned system.
Through its member base, and a small secretariat, the FTAANZ seeks to increase awareness of fair trade
; help facilitate and coordinate fair trade
activities; assist producers from developing countries, especially in the Asia-Pacific
region, to access Australia
n and New Zealand
markets; and establish a regional organisation to manage Fairtrade certification and labelling
for products that have standards in place under the limited FLO system.
FTAANZ also endorses fair trade businesses who are primarily arisan craft-based and do not fall within the purview of the Fairtrade Labeling Organization structures. This endorsement is gained through adherence to the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) 10 standards of fair trade and offers opportunities for consumers to trust that the craft-styled products sold by businesses are authentically fair trade. Businesses become endorsed as a "Fair Trader of Australia".
The first products bearing the FLO International Fairtrade Certification Mark
, which guarantees a better deal to disadvantaged producers in the developing world, were sold in Australia and New Zealand starting October 2003. Products bearing the mark
are on sale in Australia and New Zealand: coffee
, tea
, chocolate
and cocoa.
The first endorsed "Fair Traders of Australia" achieved their seal in early 2011.
FTAANZ is a not-for-private-profit membership based association, governed by an Executive Committee elected every year during FTAANZ's AGM. FTAANZ membership is open to any organisation interested and supportive of fair trade principles. FTAANZ membership includes development, social justice, environmental and human rights NGOs, businesses, alternative trade organisations, researchers and interested individuals.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
member of FLO International, which unites 23 Fairtrade producer and labelling initiatives across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The second, as a member, is the World Fair Trade Organization
World Fair Trade Organization
The World Fair Trade Organization , formerly the International Fair Trade Association , was created in 1989 and is a global association of 324 organizations in over 70 countries...
(WFTO), of over 450 world-wide members, to which FTAANZ is one. Fairtrade (one word) refers to FLO certified commodity products. Fair trade (two words) encompasses all fair trade products, including the trademarked Fairtrade commodities and other craft and commodities that are unable to join the aforementioned system.
Through its member base, and a small secretariat, the FTAANZ seeks to increase awareness of fair trade
Fair trade
Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...
; help facilitate and coordinate fair trade
Fair trade
Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...
activities; assist producers from developing countries, especially in the Asia-Pacific
Asia-Pacific
Asia-Pacific or Asia Pacific is the part of the world in or near the Western Pacific Ocean...
region, to access Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
markets; and establish a regional organisation to manage Fairtrade certification and labelling
Fairtrade labelling
Fairtrade certification is a product certification system designed to allow people to identify products that meet agreed environmental, labour and developmental standards. Overseen by a standard-setting body, Fairtrade International , and a certification body, FLO-CERT, the system involves...
for products that have standards in place under the limited FLO system.
FTAANZ also endorses fair trade businesses who are primarily arisan craft-based and do not fall within the purview of the Fairtrade Labeling Organization structures. This endorsement is gained through adherence to the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) 10 standards of fair trade and offers opportunities for consumers to trust that the craft-styled products sold by businesses are authentically fair trade. Businesses become endorsed as a "Fair Trader of Australia".
The first products bearing the FLO International Fairtrade Certification Mark
International Fairtrade Certification Mark
The International FAIRTRADE Certification Mark is an independent certification mark used in over 50 countries. It appears on products as an independent guarantee that disadvantaged producers in the developing world are getting a better deal....
, which guarantees a better deal to disadvantaged producers in the developing world, were sold in Australia and New Zealand starting October 2003. Products bearing the mark
International Fairtrade Certification Mark
The International FAIRTRADE Certification Mark is an independent certification mark used in over 50 countries. It appears on products as an independent guarantee that disadvantaged producers in the developing world are getting a better deal....
are on sale in Australia and New Zealand: coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
, chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
and cocoa.
The first endorsed "Fair Traders of Australia" achieved their seal in early 2011.
FTAANZ is a not-for-private-profit membership based association, governed by an Executive Committee elected every year during FTAANZ's AGM. FTAANZ membership is open to any organisation interested and supportive of fair trade principles. FTAANZ membership includes development, social justice, environmental and human rights NGOs, businesses, alternative trade organisations, researchers and interested individuals.