Fair Trade Certified Qs
logo has become a well-recognized and respected symbol of assurance for ethically minded consumers. Widely seen on coffee, grocery and cosmetic brands,
there was no such program for apparel up until 2010, mostly due to the complexities of certifying supply chains as it moves from farms to ginning and spinning
facilities to dyeing mills to cut/stitch factories. After more than three years of research, exploring models of fair trade, consulting with workers and workers’
rights NGOs, drafting rigorous standards, identifying and auditing pioneering partners, Fair Trade USA launched a program to certify apparel in July 2010. HAE Now was the first company to be approved under this program, and is one of a few sources of fair trade certified t-shirts and apparel in USA.
How do I participate?
When you place your wholesale order online you will see an option to add Fair Trade Certification. Leave the box checked to participate, uncheck to exclude your order. The cost varies between $0.17 pp -$0.45 pp, please see the blue bar in Price Matrix for details. The total certification cost will automatically be calculated for your order. This amount covers the factory workers welfare fund contribution and Fair Trade USA’s license fee.
What is the difference between a Fair Trade CertifiedTM shirt and non-certified shirt ?
While there is no physical difference between the shirts, please read below for the advantages of certification.
Consumer participation in fair trade
Consumer directly supplements mill workers wages. Each product sold as ‘Fair Trade Certified’ contributes an additional 4% of the production cost to a mill workers fund set up specifically to supplement wages or invest in community betterment programs. Workers choose democratically how Fair Trade Premium funds are allocated.
No additional contribution to worker wages. Mill adheres to general standards for wage and benefits.
Confidence from third party verification
Each product may claim to be ‘Fair Trade Certified’ and use the FTC logo to show independent certification by Fair Trade USA. It gives confidence to the end user that products are ethically made.
No certification available as proof of being fair trade. Any company can claim to offer ‘fairly traded’ and ‘fair trade’ products, as there are no standards for the use of these terms.
Licensed marks available
Use of FTC logo, verbiage ‘Fair Trade Certified’TM or approved text is included. FTC hangtags available at a charge. Certification allows use of the FTC logo on each product, and the text ‘Fair Trade Certified’TM on the shirts (may be printed directly or attached to it), as well as points of sale and/or packaging. The logo is a trademark of Fair Trade USA who audits the mill and certifies the products (see Use Guide below).Approved verbiage that may be used for product at point of sale: “Your purchase of this Fair Trade Certified™ item supports better working conditions for the cotton farmers and factory workers who made it. And for each product sold, they earn a premium to invest in social development projects and to fight poverty in their communities.” FTC hang tag available: An optional FTC hang tag is available for 5 cents pp. It accompanies the order and may be attached after printing.
May be promoted and sold as ‘fair trade’, not ‘Fair Trade Certified’. Use of FTC logo and materials not available.
More resources:
The ‘Fair Trade Certified’ hang tag:
If you opt for Fair Trade Certification and wish to print the logo on shirts or promotional material please refer to this FTC Use Guide.