Signatories to the COP25 position paper on behalf of the Fair Trade movement

In the run-up to the Climate Summit, the World Fair Trade movement urges Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to recognise Fair Trade policies and practices as a crucial component of climate mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Faced with droughts, floods, and unpredictable weather changes, more and more smallholder farmers are forced to leave their fields and migrate. Therefore, the Fair Trade movement calls for urgent, concrete and ambitious action to address these adverse effects of the climate crisis, which put at risk the most vulnerable populations, world food security and, by extension, the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Fair Trade movement warns that current unsustainable business models, where the wellbeing of people and planet are often sacrificed in the pursuit of profits, remain a key driver to the accelerating climate crisis.

“The sad truth of the climate crisis is that it devastates the most marginalised communities, who are the people least responsible for the crisis. This is why in tackling climate change, we must also over-haul global trade and business models to put the interests of these people first,” says Erinch Sahan, Chief Executive at the World Fair Trade Organization.

Transparent supply chains, a more equal distribution of value among its actors and observing Human Rights Due Diligence are crucial factors for truly bolstering the climate resilience of smallholder farmers. Moreover, better remuneration, technical support and better access to finance is needed to allow them to make vital investments into climate mitigation and adaptation measures.

Fair Trade provides concrete tools and tested ways of ensuring these crucial components for smallholder farmers and marginalised producers, and thus it represents one obvious tool among many that must be employed to mitigate the climate crisis. Nevertheless, the sheer scale of the crisis means that we cannot rely on consumers alone to demand more sustainability and trade justice as a way to ensure climate resilience.

“Climate change has evolved into a climate crisis. We must now focus on supporting small-holder farmers in adapting their livelihoods to a crisis that was not of their making. Ensuring the sustainability of agriculture and fair trading terms requires real action from all of us – from small-holder farmers to government, businesses and consumers. We call on the leaders at COP25 to play their part and catalyse climate and trade action,” says Dario Abril Soto, CEO at Fairtrade International.

Fairtrade is co-hosting two side events at the COP25 summit to highlight producers’ needs and voices. On 6 December at the German Pavilion, Peruvian cocoa farmer Luis Mendoza Aguilar will join Fairtrade to discuss climate risk insurance (‘The million farmer network: bringing climate risk insurance to vulnerable farmers’). Mr. Mendoza Aguilar is a board member of the Fairtrade producer network for the Latin America and the Caribbean region, and general manager of the Peruvian Association of Small-scale Cocoa Farmers. Fairtrade will also co-host a side event on 4 December at the European Union Pavilion on carbon farming initiatives and lessons learned from climate risk insurance.

More Information 

• Fair Trade movement Joint Position Paper on COP25: EN; FR; ES; IT; DE; PL

Notes to Editor

• The World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) is a global community of Fair Trade Enterprises. Founded in 1989, it has over 400 members across 70 countries, counting over 330 Fair Trade Enterprises and 70 organisations and networks that support them. Through peer reviews and independent audits WFTO ensures members are mission led businesses that put people and planet first. Read more: wfto.com
• Fairtrade International represents an alternative approach to conventional trade based on a partnership between producers and traders, businesses and consumers. The international Fairtrade system – made up of Fairtrade International and its member organizations – represents the worlds largest and most recognized fair trade system. Read more: fairtrade.net
• The Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO) speaks out on behalf of the Fair Trade movement for Fair Trade and Trade Justice with the aim to improve the livelihoods of marginalised producers and workers in the South. The FTAO is a joint initiative of Fairtrade International, and the World Fair Trade Organization (Europe and Global). Read more: fairtrade-advocacy.org

Signatories to the COP25 position paper on behalf of the Fair Trade movement:

• Commerce Équitable France
• Coordinadora Estatal De Comercio Justo
• Association Equo Garantito
• Italian General Assembly of Fair Trade
• EZA Fairer Handel
• Fair Trade Advocacy Office
• Fair World Project
• Fairtrade International
• Forum Fairer Handel
• GEPA – The Fair Trade Company
• Oxfam
• Polish Fair Trade Association
• Scottish Fair Trade Forum
• Swiss Fair Trade
• World Fair Trade Organization
• World Fair Trade Organization – Europe