Why Join the World Fair Trade Organization?

If so, here are five reasons you should join WFTO

01

This is your tribe

we are a democratically-run global community of mission-led enterprises. Everything about WFTO is created by the members, decided by the members.

03

The label is yours

members own the Guaranteed Fair Trade label (no license fee), and (once verified as a mission-led Fair Trade Enterprise) they can use it on all their products.

05

Visibility as a true Fair Trader

buyers and consumers are looking for more Fair Trade brands and products. They search the WFTO website and social media to find them.

02

Credible, clear and affordable

WFTO verification system was built by the Fair Trade movement to be credible, and adopts a common-sense approach. It carefully minimises costs and uses a combination of self-assessment reports,  office reviews and independent audits (4 yearly audits).

04

Grassroots community

members support and trade with each other, speak up collectively on trade justice and Fair Trade, deepen ties at global and regional gatherings and collaborate at trade fairs.

02

Credible, clear and affordable

WFTO verification system was built by the Fair Trade movement to be credible, and adopts a common-sense approach. It carefully minimises costs and uses a combination of self-assessment reports,  office reviews and independent audits (4 yearly audits).

04

Grassroots community

members support and trade with each other, speak up collectively on trade justice and Fair Trade, deepen ties at global and regional gatherings and collaborate at trade fairs.

01

This is your tribe

we are a democratically-run global community of mission-led enterprises. Everything about WFTO is created by the members, decided by the members.

02

Credible, clear and affordable

WFTO verification system was built by the Fair Trade movement to be credible, and adopts a common-sense approach. It carefully minimises costs and uses a combination of self-assessment reports,  office reviews and independent audits (4 yearly audits).

03

The label is yours

members own the Guaranteed Fair Trade label (no license fee), and (once verified as a mission-led Fair Trade Enterprise) they can use it on all their products.

04

Grassroots community

members support and trade with each other, speak up collectively on trade justice and Fair Trade, deepen ties at global and regional gatherings and collaborate at trade fairs.

05

Visibility as a true Fair Trader

buyers and consumers are looking for more Fair Trade brands and products. They search the WFTO website and social media to find them.

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Enquire about membership

Please feel free to contact us should you have any specific enquiries

Guarantee System Information

Next SAR Due

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Next Desk Audit

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Next Monitoring

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Sourcing requests or queries

Please feel free to contact us should you have any specific sourcing requests or queries.

To become a WFTO member you need to be a mission-led enterprise committed to having a positive impact on people and the planet.Are you unsure about what this means? Contact us and we will be happy to have a chat with you! Please also note that you will need to have at least 1 set of financial accounts before applying.

Only organisations with at least one year of activity can join as members. However, until then you might be interested to become an Association Organisation. Contact us to have more information about this status.

There may have been a mistake ticking the boxes, as you probably have also one year of activity. But please note that WFTO is not a commodity certifier – our verification system assesses a business in its entirety and ensures that Fair Trade is its mission as an organisation. If this is the case, you are welcome to apply!

Please note that WFTO is not a commodity certifier – our verification system assesses a business in its entirety and ensures that Fair Trade is its mission as an organisation. If this is the case, you are welcome to apply as soon as you can present one set of annual financial accounts.

It is great that you engage in Fair Trade activities! However, please note that we need to ensure that putting people and the planet first is the mission of your entire organisation. When this is the case, you are welcome to apply for Associate status and then apply for membership as soon as you have one year of activity and are able to present one set of financial accounts. Contact us for more information!

It would seem that you have just started your business. If Fair Trade is going to be the main focus of your organisation, you are encouraged to apply as soon as you are able to present one set of financial accounts. If you feel we could support you developing your business according to our Fair Trade Standard, please get in touch!

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WFTO Membership & Associate Types

  • Fair Trade Organisations (FTO)

    All trading members of WFTO. This includes all organisations that have more than half of their income and/or more than €100,000 in income from trade.

  • Fair Trade Support Organisations (FTSO)

    An organisation whose primary mission is to support Fair Trade and/or provide services to organisations that are or want to become Fair Trade Organisations.

  • Fair Trade Networks (FTN)

    An organisation which is an association of organisations committed to Fair Trade.

  • Individual Associates (IA)

    Individual Associates are supporters of the Fair Trade movement with limited rights. The WFTO Guarantee System does not apply to them.

  • Associate Organisations (AO)

    Associate Organisations are organisations that align with the WFTO’s 10 Principles of Fair Trade. They may be/are donor organisations, national or international agencies that support or campaign for more just trading conditions, and organisations that align with the WFTO Principles but do not yet fulfil the requirements to apply for membership.

WFTO Guarantee System Monitoring Statuses

  • Candidates

    Candidates have been conditionally approved for membership but have not completed their first monitoring cycle under the WFTO Guarantee System. They have limited rights within WFTO. They may not use the WFTO Member Mark and Product Label or claim that they are monitored by WFTO.

  • Guaranteed Members

    Guaranteed members have met the WFTO Membership requirements and are monitored under the WFTO Guarantee System.

  • Member

    Organisations that have no or little income from trade go through a reduced version of the WFTO Guarantee System that does not include criteria related to trade. These organisations may use the WFTO Member Mark but cannot use the Product Label for any products they may be trading to support their mission. This status only applies to Fair Trade Networks (FTN) and Support Organisations (FTSO).

  • Renewal in Progress

    Members who are in the process of renewing their guaranteed status and are overdue on some requirements retain full rights while they work to meet the demands of the Guarantee System on an administrative or compliance level.

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Please feel free to contact us should you have any specific sourcing requests or queries.