The Max Havelaar certification is the Dutch version of the international Fairtrade label. Fairtrade fights poverty and promotes development. Consumers as well as producers take their responsibility for sustainability. Farmer organisations and plantations in developing countries have to meet social and ecological standards. The costs of this sustainable way of working are calculated in the price of the product. The trader never pays less than a fixed minimum price and, furthermore, an extra premium to make it possible to invest in development.

Fairtrade Labelling set up these trade conditions because when prices that are too low it is impossible to pay liveable wages, to comply with working rights and to respect  the environment. For more information on Max Havelaar click here.

 
Fairfood in relation to Max Havelaar
Through the Product Fairness investigation, Fairfood asks brand owners a number of fixed questions. A number of these questions are already answered positively by the Max Havelaar certification, such as questions on child labour, recycling, fair trade, air pollution and endangering living conditions related to water access, fishing, forests and cattle.

 
Given the fact that they work with small farmer companies as well as with large plantations, Max Havelaar has developed different criteria for each. When it comes to plantations, for instance, extra attention is paid to the working environment of the workers, while for smaller farmers, the focus is on specific problems that they encounter dealing with world trade. This is why Fairfood has got two different blueprints for the Max Havelaar certification, namely blueprint Max Havelaar hired Labour and blueprint Small holder organizations. When assessing products carrying the Max Havelaar certification, brand owners do not have to answer these questions anymore. Fairfood considers the Max Havelaar certification to be a possible solution for increasing product sustainability.