Fair Trade at Retail

Fair Trade is an opportunity to do good while doing good business, and Fairtrade certification is the simplest way for you and your customers to know if something is genuinely Fair Trade.

Whether you know it or not, you may already sell Fairtrade certified products and their potential for your business is significant. Here you’ll find tips, resources and information intended to help you to get the most of what you already sell and to expand upon what you already have.

	Click here for more on the First Annual Canadian Fairtrade Awards; an opportunity to showcase retailers who've taken significant steps for Fair Trade.

What makes Fairtrade certified products such a good opportunity for my business?

Simply put, consumers are looking for them. They’re also expecting companies to source products ethically and be able to prove it.

An independent study conducted in 2011 found that “Canadians express strong (and increasing) expectations of companies to act responsibly in poor countries. Nine in ten Canadians (91%) now expect companies to pay farmers/workers fairly, more than in previous years”. There is also a strong consensus among consumers (71%) that third-party certification, such as that provided by the Fairtrade system, is the best way to verify a product’s claims (Globescan 2011). 

In the same study, consumers listed difficulty locating Fairtrade certified products in store and lack of availability where they shop among the biggest barriers to purchasing them.

This presents you with a unique business opportunity to simultaneously sell more products, make your customers happy, and know that you’re helping to make the world a better place. 

	A Fairtrade certified product always has one of  these marks on the package. Eventually, only the more colourful mark will be found in Canada.

It’s easier than you think

You may already sell Fairtrade certified products, whether you know it or not. If you do, making them more obvious to your customers can go a long way.

Even if you don’t, sourcing Fairtrade certified products is not too different from sourcing any other product. In fact, your current suppliers might already be dealing in them – just ask.

You can find more resources to help you source Fairtrade certified products here.