Fair and ethical trade
Fair and Ethical Trade is a powerful way to boost business standards, to ensure working conditions are decent, producers and workers are paid a fair price for their products and to allow millions of consumers to make a contribution to development.
The Department for International Development (DFID) has significantly expanded funding and support for fair and ethical trade over the last ten years, amounting to £12 million directly to fair and ethical trade initiatives since 1997 and over £7 million to labour standards work through the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
We now look to build on the extraordinary success of Fairtrade organisations which currently certify goods worth over $2 million, directly benefiting over 7 million producers and their families.
New work in the ethical garments sector is going forward this year by way of a £3.5 million challenge fund open to businesses, Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs), labour and fair trade organisations. The fund will be used, primarily, to support initiatives to drive better working conditions in the garments sector in South Asia and Sub-Saharan African, and to strengthen the potentially huge development benefits of this sector.
To help achieve these ambitions DFID will make a four-fold increase in funding for fair and ethical trade over the next four years.
