Fairtrade International commits to revamping operating standards

Amid a backdrop of continued major challenges for farmers working in core cocoa supplying nations including Ghana and Ivory Coast, Fairtrade International has confirmed it is to revamp is standards to intensify its support for communities, reports Neill Barston.

As Confectionery Production has documented over the past few years, there has been a growing crisis within the sector, which like related agricultural markets, has been impacted significantly by a combination of significant long-term environmental and social hurdles.

Some of these issues were among topics discussed by the Fairtrade Foundation at this year’s World Confectionery Conference, concerning engagement with farmers, and its ongoing commitments to helping improve their lives around the world. 

However, major systemic issues persist, which has spanned everything from long-term under investment in infrastructure in many agricultural areas, below poverty definition farm gate pay for many cocoa farmers in particular. In addition, the sector has also been hit by major incidents of crop disease in Ghana – with 81% of cocoa plantations affected by the swollen shoot virus, which has remained a major threat to the viability of the industry. 

The untreatable condition has notably lessened yields that led to supply deficit and higher prices – which reached a comparatively elevated figure $12,000 a tonne on commodities markets at the start of 2025, though have since dipped to around half that sum, which is still more than double commercial cocoa prices just two years ago.

There have also been hurdles surrounding human rights and social justice issues linked to incoming EUDR and corporate due diligence laws being put through the European parliament, which are designed to offer protection for farmers, yet have been facing setbacks for implementation amid political pushback within the EU.

In response, Fairtrade has acknowledged that it requires enhancements to its operations on the ground, for which it has devised a number of operational solutions for.

As the social justice movement noted, it is set to deliver a multi-year initiative that targets increasing the value it provides to farmers and workers, and related businesses in its supply chain. 

According to the group, its revision includes all of Fairtrade generic standards – small-scale Producer Organisations – SPO, Hired Labour Organisations – HLO, and Trader, as well as all the product standards related to agricultural production in a bid to respond to farmers most pressing challenges.

Consequently, as Fairtrade noted, agricultural workers will be able to prioritise their actions to respond to the social, environmental, and economic issues they face locally and gain recognition for other relevant certifications they hold reducing duplication and effort.

Marike Runneboom de Peña, Interim CEO of Fairtrade International. commented: “We know the world is shifting, we see the pressure farmers and companies are under, and we will be there supporting them with evolved standards that meet their practical needs as well as the requirements for a trade system that is fair and just.”

Among the core actions that Fairtrade is taking in relation to improve its standards, it has proposed:

-Embedding human rights and environmental practices to ensure producers and companies can demonstrate actions they are taking to improve farmers’ and workers’ livelihoods, ensure fair working conditions, safeguard the environment, and build resilient supply chains.

-Adopting a risk-based approach to social and environmental topics drawing on Fairtrade’s comprehensive Risk Map to support producers to focus on what matters.

– Supporting producers and traders to build stronger systems to implement and manage effective action, increase transparency, and demonstrate measurable results.

-Making our standards more user-friendly by reducing the number of standards, streamlining requirements, and making it clearer how requirements support meaningful action.

As the organisation noted, the evolution of Fairtrade’s Standards is already underway. The process to shape the evolved standards will be conducted in collaboration with its three regional producer networks, 25 national Fairtrade organisations and marketing organisations, and FLOCERT, the movement’s third-party certifier.

Furthermore, the organisation added that it intends to engage key stakeholders throughout the process, including a full public consultation in 2026. Fairtrade strongly encourages famers, workers, partners and all other stakeholders to take part because participation will lead to more effective solutions.

Following the consultation with our stakeholders, Fairtrade expects to publish the new, evolved standards in 2027, and that certification against them will begin by 2028, which is happening amid a wider backdrop of major regulatory changes within supply chains within Europe and around the world.