Glossary

If you feel that the world of Fair Trade has its very own language – don’t fret! We’ll keep you in the know!

With this glossary we’ll guide you through the common technical terms used by FLOCERT, Fairtrade International and the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO).

Learn about the wor(l)ds of Fair Trade below!

Navigate the glossary by letter

Fairtrade Composite Product

A product composed of more than one ingredient, of which at least one is Fairtrade-certified. In Fairtrade Composite Products, all ingredients for which there are Fairtrade Standards must be Fairtrade-certified (unless the product is traded under the Fairtrade Sourced Ingredient [FSI] model).

So, in the case of:

  • chocolate: the cocoa and the sugar must be certified.
  • single-ingredient products such as coffee: 100% of the coffee must be Fairtrade-certified to carry the label.

In order for the packaging to carry the FAIRTRADE Certification Mark, there needs to be at least a minimum specified amount of Fairtrade ingredients in the product:

  • At least 20% of the content of Food Composite Products must be Fairtrade.
  • For products with more than 50% added water or dairy, the liquid may be excluded from the percentage calculations.
  • For non-food products, the applicable rules are either defined by the product-specific Standards or by the respective National Fairtrade Organisations (NFOs).