What is the fair trade?

Fair Trade is a commercial partnership based on a respectful, transparent and fair exchange between the different components of the value chain: workers, producers and traders. Fair Trade organizations, through consumer support, are actively engaged in supporting producers, raising awareness and 

campaigning for changes in the rules and practices of conventional international trade.

It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions and ensuring the rights of marginalized producers and workers.

Why fair trade?

The objective of fair trade is, above all, to engage a lasting partnership.

Thus, the producer and the buyer undertake to establish long-term commercial relations allowing the producer to envisage long-term projects thanks to regular orders, and the buyer to have a constant supply meeting his needs. 

All these commercial exchanges are based on mutual trust and must be done transparently via contracts setting out the guarantees in terms of:

• Price of the product, which must allow fair remuneration for producers and sellers.
• Product quality with a commitment to maintain this quality over time.
• Possible payments on account when producer organizations do not have the necessary working capital to buy the raw material, or to simply live between the order and the final payment.
• Delivery time.

What interest for very small, small and medium enterprises?

Discussing via fair trade circuits makes it possible to reach customers directly affected by the difficulties of the country and the craftsmen. Indeed, more and more consumers no longer want to make their purchase based only on the price or the characteristics of the product but integrate these major ethical principles into their purchasing decision.

Among these decision’s criteria, the most important is the commitment of the actors to their socio-economic environment. Producers must reinvest the profits in their business or act for the development of their community:

– By encouraging other producers to get organized and by supporting any initiative in this direction.

– By allowing it to benefit from the income generated by the sale of products, through projects in education, health, agricultural development, etc.

How it works?

The approach begins with a commitment by the actors to respect the principles of fair trade in order to create a close relationship between them. Thus, the producer undertakes to provide all the information on his production, working conditions, wages, etc. Similarly, the buyer must be able to provide the producer with information concerning the sale of his product, the price, the quantities sold, the margins made. At any time, everyone must be able to benefit from all this informations.

The actors must accept a check on respect of these various commitments, whether it was an internal or external control.

Our experience:

“El Kahina” label for local fair trade

The “El Kahina” label was developed on the initiative of the Tunisian NGO ENDA Inter-Arabe with the participation of a large number of actors concerned with fair trade and/or the agricultural sector.

The “El Kahina” label is based on the 10 principles of the “World Fair Trade Organization”, namely:

1. Creation of opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers;
2. Transparency and Accountability;
3. Fair business practices;
4. Payment of a fair price;
5. Action against forced labor and child labour;
6. Non-discrimination, gender equity and economic empowerment of producers and freedom of association;
7. Guarantee of good working conditions;
8. Capacity building;
9. Promotion of CE;
10. Respect for the environment.

Our office, ACT CONSULT, has been authorized by ENDA Inter Arabe to audit and survey organizations committed to this concept and seeking for national recognition.

In order to materialize this commitment and obtain the right to use the “El Kahina” label, these committed organizations, whether they are “Production Organizations”, “Transformation Organizations” or “Marketing Organizations”, can contact our office