The Fairtrade Foundation is a rapidly growing organisation (Company Limited by guarantee and registered Charity) which exists to ensure a better deal for disadvantaged and marginalised producers in developing countries. The Foundation awards a consumer label, the FAIRTRADE Mark, to products that meet internationally recognised standards of Fairtrade. In October 2004 the Foundation was awarded Charity Times’s “Charity of the Year” award.
The Fairtrade Foundation is a member of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) that unites 20 Labelling Initiatives in 21 countries and Producer Networks representing Fairtrade Certified Producer Organizations in Central and Latin America, Africa and Asia. The setting and monitoring of Fairtrade standards is co-ordinated from the FLO office in Bonn.
In the UK, the Foundation employs nearly 70 staff, supported by a large number of volunteers, across five distinct areas: Communications; Commercial Relations; Policy and Producer Relations; Finance and Resources (including Fundraising, IT, human resources and administration) and Certification.