Transfair
| TransFair - Association for the Promotion of Fair Trade in One World (Fairtrade Germany) |
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| purpose | To enable disadvantaged farmers and plantation workers to have better life prospects through fairer trade |
| Chair: | Dieter Overath, Claudia Brück, Detlev Grimmelt |
| Establishment date: | 1992 |
| Number of members: | 35 organizations (2019) |
| Seat : |
Cologne , Germany
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| Website: | fairtrade-deutschland.de |
The non-profit association TransFair - Association for the Promotion of Fair Trade in One World , based in Cologne - Sülz , founded in 1992, is the national Fairtrade organization for Germany, which awards the Fairtrade seal for German products and increases the public awareness of the seal, Promotes politics and business within Germany.
goals and tasks
The association sees its overriding goal in ensuring that economically disadvantaged smallholders , plantation workers and their families in countries in the global south have better prospects for life through fairer trade and sustainable development (→ fair trade ).
As a member organization of Fairtrade International , the umbrella organization of all national Fairtrade organizations worldwide, the association awards the Fairtrade seal to importers, manufacturers and retailers in Germany who meet the Fairtrade standards. In addition, the tasks of Transfair also include marketing and public relations for the Fairtrade seal.
history
The association was founded under the name AG Kleinbauernkaffee e. V. founded by the following ten organizations: Aktion Arme Welt , AG3WL , Misereor e. V., Frente ( Costa Rica ), Consumer Initiative , Friedrich Ebert Foundation , Christian Initiative Romero e. V., Hochschulring d. Catholic students youth , church development service (today: Protestant development service ) and DGB educational institution . The GEPA , importer of fair trade products, has advised the AG.
In mid-1992 the AG Kleinbauernkaffee had 22 member organizations; Added to this were: Working Group of Protestant Youth , Bread for the World , Federation of German Catholic Youth , German Scouting Society Sankt Georg , German Institute for Medical Mission , Catholic Women's Community in Germany , Catholic Rural Movement , Quaker Help e. V., regional speakers conference of the A3WH (which has been known as the Weltladen umbrella organization since 1998 ), Association Rhineland-Palatinate - Rwanda eV , association of former development workers and the business association of the Evangelical Mission . In May 1992 the AG Kleinabuernkaffee was renamed TransFair - Association for the Promotion of Fair Trade with the Third World eV and signed the first license agreement (with the GEPA).
In 1997, the umbrella organization Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO) - today Fairtrade International - was founded in Bonn , whereupon TransFair changed its seal to the internationally standardized standard and the new Fairtrade logo. The word mark "TransFair" remained in the seal until 2007.
In 2009 TransFair started the "Fairtrade Towns" campaign and made Saarbrücken the first Fairtrade city. The campaign connects actors for fair trade from the fields of politics, civil society and business at the local level: in cities, regions and communities. In addition, TransFair received the individual award in the category “Germany's most sustainable service” at the German Sustainability Award. For 2013 the association was awarded the Oswald von Nell Breuning Prize of the City of Trier.
Since 2012, the association has been running the Fairtrade Schools campaign, which anchors fair trade in everyday school life and creates awareness for sustainable development in schools.
In 2015, TransFair launched the Banana Forum - with the aim of stimulating socio-political dialogue about the banana market and bringing together the specific debates and actions of various actors on this topic. This was honored in 2016 by the Sustainability Council of the Federal Government for the Workshop N Project 2016 and has now been continued by the independent research institute CSCP under the title Action Alliance for Sustainable Bananas .
organization
Members of the association are organizations from the fields of development policy , church , environment , consumer protection , women , education and social affairs . In 2019 there were a total of 35 institutions from whose ranks the Supervisory Board is made up. A total of 65 employees worked in the association's office in 2019. Volunteers, so-called multipliers and speakers, support the association in public relations.
TransFair is one of 21 national seal organizations, 9 marketing organizations and three producer networks (as of 2019) in the umbrella organization Fairtrade International . At Fairtrade International, the producer representatives hold 50% of the voting rights. The organization sets the internationally valid Fairtrade standards, including minimum prices and Fairtrade premium, which producer organizations receive under Fairtrade conditions, and advises producer organizations. FLOCert is responsible for the certification and control of the organizations involved in the Fairtrade system.
financing
The association finances its work for the most part through license income for the Fairtrade seal it has awarded in Germany, around 13.5 million euros in 2017 with a total income of around 18.4 million euros, which is otherwise from project-related grants, Put together membership fees and donations.
Most of the 2017 expenditure went into the items “Fairtrade International Membership Fee” (2017: 3.4 million euros), “Personnel Costs” (2017: 3.2 million euros) and “Press, Public Relations, Campaigns & Marketing” (2017 : 2.3 million euros).
Effects
German market
In the meantime, through TransFair's efforts, over 5,500 Fairtrade-sealed products are available in around 42,000 sales outlets: in supermarkets, discounters, drugstores and organic supermarkets, in world shops and in more than 20,000 catering establishments. In 2016, sales of Fairtrade-certified products in Germany exceeded the billion mark for the first time.
Producers
For the producers, the Fairtrade standards achieve market access, positive economic effects both through guaranteed minimum prices when world market prices fall and the additional Fairtrade premium, through long-term supply relationships and options for pre-financing. Furthermore, the living conditions of farmers and agricultural workers are improving through ecological and social standards a. contribute to gender equality, the advancement of women and the prevention of exploitative child labor.
Additional income using the example of coffee
In August 2007 the average monthly price on the world market was US $ 1.22 per pound sterling (lb = 453.6 g) of Arabica green coffee . Only part of this award goes to the producers. On average in 2007, most producers received significantly less than the world market price, for example in Mexico $ 1.06. The world market price fluctuates strongly, the minimum in October 2001, during the coffee crisis , was $ 0.48. The average price paid to producers in El Salvador that year was only $ 0.19.
In the Fairtrade system, participating traders paid producer organizations a minimum price of $ 1.21 over the period under review (from June 2008: $ 1.25) or, if the world market price was higher, at least the higher world market price. There was also a premium to finance community projects of $ 0.10 per lb for conventional / $ 0.20 for certified organic coffee (before July 2007: $ 0.05 / $ 0.10). Thus in August 2007 the producers would have received a total premium (including premium) of at least $ 0.10 (conventional) / $ 0.20 (organic) compared to the world market price compared to the prices actually paid to producers in fair trade Usually significantly more, for example in Mexico $ 0.25 (conventional) / $ 0.35 (organic). The 2001 minimum premium would have been up to $ 0.97. Dealers and producer organizations can also agree higher prices than the minimum price.
Converted to a normal 500 g retail pack and in euros, the producers would have received at least € 0.19 more organically produced Fairtrade coffee in August 2007 compared to the coffee traded at world market prices of € 1.13. Mexican producers would have booked at least € 0.32 more than the annual average producer prices.
In a sample price calculation by GEPA for Mexican Arabica coffee for August 2007, of the recommended retail price of € 7.38 per 500 g pack, € 1.51 for the raw material went to the producer organizations, often smallholder cooperatives. The actual additional prices paid were therefore above the minimum surcharges. The producer organization itself received € 0.31 of this, which includes the Fairtrade premium for community projects and administrative costs of the cooperative. The remainder of € 1.20 went to the farmer. In addition to these costs for the raw material, the final price includes costs for storage, transport, processing, roaster and dealer margins, taxes ( coffee tax of € 1.10 and VAT of 7 percent) and license fees for seals (in the example Fairtrade and Naturland Seal) included. The cost portion of the Fairtrade license fee to the latter is € 0.11 per 500 g and is paid by the trader to Transfair, the association finances its work mainly through these license fees.
Use of the Fairtrade Premium
The Fairtrade Premium paid by traders to producer organizations must be invested by them in social and economic development. In 2009 the funds were invested in the following projects:
| Africa | Asia | Latin America and the Caribbean | |
| bonus | 12.6 million euros | 5.6 million euros | 33.8 million euros |
| local community | 22% | 25% | 24% |
| education | 16% | 12% | 4% |
| environment | 0.2% | 0% | 1 % |
| health | 6% | 18% | 3% |
| Business and production | 46% | 20% | 36% |
| Women's programs | 3% | 4% | 2% |
| Other / not yet issued | 3% / 4% | 14% / 7% | 18% / 12% |
Web links
- TransFair e. V.
- Annual report 2009 - Outlook 2010 (PDF, 6 MB)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Fairtrade Standards , fairtrade.net, accessed October 8, 2013.
- ↑ COFFEE - materials for education and actions , p.5, Publisher: TRANSFAIR, 1992, ISBN 3-88916-104-9 .
- ↑ TransFair Chronicle 1992 - 2009. TransFair eV, accessed on November 4, 2010 .
- ↑ TransFair eV / GoodWeave 2010, page 8.
- ↑ 25 moments. Retrieved June 2, 2019 .
- ^ Monthly Indicator and Future Prices - Monthly: 2000 to 2010. (PDF) International Coffee Organization, archived from the original on November 16, 2010 ; accessed on November 16, 2010 (English).
- ↑ Average price paid to growers in Current Terms Calendar years 2000 to 2009. (PDF) International Coffee Organization, archived from the original on November 16, 2010 ; accessed on November 16, 2010 (English).
- ^ The Arabica Coffee Market 1989-2010: Comparison of Fairtrade and New York Prices. (PDF; 181 kB) Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International, archived from the original on November 16, 2010 ; accessed on November 16, 2010 (English).
- ↑ taking into account a ratio of green coffee to roasted coffee of 573g / 500g = 1.146 GBE.
- ↑ converted at the average exchange rate of € 0.734 per US $ 1 in August 2007.
- ↑ FAQ - "How much of the retail price of a fair trade product does the farmer get, for example?" GEPA Society for the Promotion of Partnership with Third World Ltd., accessed on November 3, 2010 .
- ↑ Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International: Annual Report 2009-2010 (PDF; 2.9 MB). Retrieved November 3, 2010.