BRIEFING: The future of Fairtrade – opportunities and challenges

Fairtrade has come a long way since the launch of the Max Havelaar Fairtrade Certification Mark in the Netherlands in 1988. Having been founded by activists, Fairtrade today can no longer be defined merely as a campaign. It is a recognisable and increasingly potent, international brand. A dynamic movement, Fairtrade has evolved and expanded constantly, so in spite of being so radically transformed during the past two decades there is no feeling on the part of strategists of the concept having ‘arrived’. But it has arguably reached an extremely critical stage of its development, notwithstanding the differing levels of maturity and penetration across the various countries in which it operates. This briefing looks at national profiles, international harmonisation of Fairtrade and the future of the movement.