Positioning

Several other NGOs are also working towards making businesses embrace sustainable practices, and making international trade fairer. The current fair trade movement was shaped in Europe in the 1960s. Fair trade during this period was often seen as a political gesture against neo-imperialism: radical student movements began targeting multinational corporations and concerns started to emerge that traditional business models were fundamentally flawed. The slogan at the time, ‘Trade not Aid’, gained international recognition in 1968 when it was adopted by the UNCTAD to place emphasis on the establishment of fair trade relations with the developing world.

Unfortunately, trade is still far from sustainable. At the current rate of improvement, it may take decades to make trade sustainable and fair.

At Fairfood International we believe that joint efforts would speed up the process and therefore intends to work constructively together with other NGOs to make this happen.

NGOs working in this cause play different roles depending on their chosen intervention strategies: Some, like us, Greenpeace and Both Ends, focus on only one intervention strategy whereas others, such as Oxfam, International Trade Centre (ITC), Action Aid, ICCO, and Solidaridad combine two or all three intervention strategies. There are also other organisations that engage in sustainability product certification and labelling, such as Fairtrade International (FLO), Utz Certified and Rainforest Alliance.

We believe that our mission cannot be successful without strategic relationships and collaborations with NGOs applying other intervention strategies and strengths. Therefore, when we recognise compatibility, it initiates collaborative partnerships based on commonalities and shared values. We also often act as a facilitator by bringing food companies into contact with other NGOs, companies, and institutes who can offer better practical assistance and know-how to enhance businesses’ sustainable practices.