«The Future is fair»

Switz­er­land is the Fair­trade world cham­pion: nowhere else on Earth consu­mes more Fair­trade products per capita – CHF 112 in 2024, to be precise. By exten­sion, Swiss compa­nies and our popu­la­tion are making an effec­tive contri­bu­tion to impro­ving the living and working condi­ti­ons of farmers and workers in Asia, Africa and Latin America. 

Speci­fi­cally, this means that certi­fied produ­cers in count­ries within the Global South were able to sell more products such as bana­nas, coffee, cocoa and flowers to Switz­er­land on Fair­trade terms last year. In turn, they recei­ved an addi­tio­nal USD 13 million in Fair­trade premi­ums to imple­ment self-deter­mi­ned local deve­lo­p­ment projects.

These are important, given the current diffi­cul­ties posed by high produc­tion costs, noti­ceable infla­tion and a dete­rio­ra­ting climate. In addi­tion, the signi­fi­cant price increa­ses on the inter­na­tio­nal markets – espe­ci­ally for cocoa and coffee – are only partly passed on to farmers and workers due to complex, opaque trading structures. 

The new Euro­pean laws on the tracea­bi­lity of global supply chains, compli­ance with high produc­tion stan­dards, assess­ment of risks and publi­ca­tion of reports also present oppor­tu­ni­ties and chal­lenges alike. Human rights and envi­ron­men­tal due dili­gence cannot simply be dele­ga­ted from North to South. Other­wise, many farmers and workers would drop out of the system and – along with their fami­lies – inevi­ta­bly slide into poverty.

Comba­ting child labour simply by sending more audi­tors to produ­cing count­ries is also of little use. We need a more holi­stic approach and, above all, support for coope­ra­ti­ves so that they can comply with the law. Poverty is the most important driver of child labour and needs to be addres­sed through a range of measu­res such as aware­ness-raising campaigns, educa­tion, living wages and targe­ted projects.

But what could these targe­ted projects look like? In the SOCAMEA coope­ra­tive in Côte d’Ivoire, for instance, 125 school­child­ren were given bicy­cles because their jour­ney to school was too long and arduous, leaving them more likely to get there late or not at all. A recent survey of parents showed that their children’s school atten­dance has improved.

In peri­ods of econo­mic insta­bi­lity, Fair­trade prin­ci­ples have a stabi­li­sing effect because they promote holi­stic sustaina­bi­lity. This includes social, econo­mic and envi­ron­men­tal stan­dards, guaran­teed mini­mum prices as a safety net against market price fluc­tua­tions, trans­pa­rent trade rela­ti­ons and addi­tio­nal Fair­trade premi­ums for local flexi­bi­lity. I firmly believe that the future is fair.

---

About
Kath­rin Amacker is Presi­dent of the Fair­trade Max Havel­aar Switz­er­land Foun­da­tion. She is an expe­ri­en­ced leader, has held senior roles at listed and govern­ment-affi­lia­ted compa­nies and is a former member of the Natio­nal Coun­cil. Today, she sits on boards of direc­tors, foun­da­tion boards and execu­tive boards, inclu­ding at the Univer­sity of Basel, and as presi­dent of Recy­Pac, the Swiss indus­try orga­ni­sa­tion for plas­tic recycling.