Mapping the Value of Fairtrade: Understanding business and market engagement in the banana, cocoa, and coffee value chains

Traders are key actors in the Fairtrade system, as it is through their trading practices that producer organisations in the Global South are linked with consumers in the Global North. Ultimately many producer level impacts, including the amount of Fairtrade Premium available, depend on volumes sold on Fairtrade terms. These terms are reached by consumer purchases, but these purchases are possible only because certified traders, licensees and brands are committed to purchasing their raw materials and product according to Fairtrade terms. However, these market dynamics are not well understood, particularly those that determine the form and size of business engagement with the Fairtrade System. This project thus investigated the impact that Fairtrade has on businesses and Fairtrade consumer markets for bananas, cocoa, and coffee in the Global North. Commissioned by Fairtrade International, in collaboration with a number of National Fairtrade Organisations (NFO) and Fairtrade Marketing Organisations (FMO) and with financial support from the European Union (EU), it sought to explore: how Fairtrade might maximize demand and positive producer impact through its supply chain and business engagement?