Max Havelaar
Max Havelaar is the world’s first Fairtrade labelling organisation. Since 1988, the Max Havelaar certification mark has been used to guarantee consumers, that their products have been traded under fair conditions. From the vision that people can only maintain their families and communities through sufficient income from labour, a strategy was developed that addresses poverty alleviation through entrepreneurship. The standards that have been set support farmers in achieving a better deal for products such as coffee, tea, fruit, cocoa, wine and cotton. The Max Havelaar initiative has been followed in twenty different countries among which are most European countries, the U.S.A. and Canada. Together with these initiatives Max Havelaar founded the international Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO). The Max Havelaar Foundation is set up as a not-for-profit foundation and does not trade, but inspires and stimulates market players to develop a market assortment under Fairtrade conditions.
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Background
Fairtrade has been rather successful in the past years. More than a million farmers and their families benefit directly from Fairtrade. Impact studies have shown that development impact through trading cooperatives is significant. Total consumer turnover in 2006 was 1.6 Billion Euros. The Fairtrade initiative has stimulated other actors to develop other sustainability certification schemes, which are welcome. However, none of them has the unique Fairtrade trading conditions that guarantee farmers investment and a price for their products provided that they market under the Fairtrade label.