Client: Fairtrade International
Collaboration: N/A
Fairtrade International works to secure a better deal for farmers and workers. Fairtrade International sets the internationally-recognized Fairtrade Standards, provides producer support and licenses the Fairtrade Mark. Over 27,000 products carry the international Fairtrade Mark and are sold in more than 120 countries.
Levin Sources was commissioned to help Fairtrade International revise the Fairtrade Standard for Gold and Associated Precious Metals for Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (ASM). Having solicited feedback from multiple stakeholders, Fairtrade needed expert help to evaluate the comments and revise the production standards where appropriate. Members of the Levin Sources team have been engaged with Fairtrade since the inception of product development for gold, having co-authored the product feasibility study and were pleased to help Fairtrade develop a 'fit-for-purpose' revised version of the standard.
Levin Sources evaluated all of the stakeholder feedback and applied lenses of compliance realities, impact, and commercial demands. The team also recognised the importance of maintaining the Fairtrade brand integrity across all products when proposing changes to the gold standard. The revised standard was then presented for final feedback at a multi-stakeholder session, which was facilitated by Levin Sources.
As a result of this work, Fairtrade now has a revised version of the gold standard that meets the expectations of miners and their commercial partners which should increase both the number of certified producers and the market for Fairtrade gold. Furthermore the standard has balanced commercial success with benefits for miners.
The facilitated workshop helped the stakeholders to understand the changes and learn from each other, which helped to validate both the process and the standards revisions. It also exposed the main barriers to commercialization, so informing Fairtrade’s strategy for getting more Fairtrade gold to market, for the benefit of all supply chain operators and consumers.
Estelle Levin-Nally sits on the Technical Advisory Group for Fairtrade Gold in a voluntary capacity.
