Fairtrade

The Fairtrade Labelling Organisation, Fairtrade International, is the umbrella organisation for national Fairtrade organisations. The organisation was founded in Bonn in 1997 with the aim of unifying the many different Fairtrade labels and standards. The Fairtrade system consists of two branches:

• Fairtrade International e.V. develops the conditions and principles that must be met in order to obtain Fairtrade certification.
• FLOCERT monitors compliance with these principles. This is important to ensure that products labelled ‘fair’ are genuinely ‘fair’.

Today, the international Fairtrade system comprises three producer networks, 25 national Fairtrade organisations, Fairtrade International e.V. and FLOCERT. The Fairtrade organisations award the Fairtrade mark in their respective countries. In Germany, for example, this is Fairtrade Deutschland e.V.; in Switzerland, the Max Havelaar Foundation; and in Austria, Fairtrade Österreich. The producer networks represent the many different producer groups in Latin America, Africa and Asia (CLAC: Coordinadora Latinoamericana y del Caribe de Comercio Justo, AFN: African Fairtrade Network and NAP: Network of Asian Producers). Certification covers fairly produced products or products containing fairly produced ingredients, such as coffee, bananas, cotton, cosmetics and jewellery, as well as timber and gold. Fair Trade quality marks. Certification covers fairly produced products or products containing fairly produced ingredients, such as coffee, bananas, cotton, cosmetics, jewellery and gold.

More information on Fairtrade here

The Vegan Society

The logo of the international organisation ‘The Vegan Society’, based in Birmingham, England, can be found worldwide not only on cosmetic products, but also on food, clothing, cleaning products and other items. The Vegan Society’s logo confirms that products bearing it contain no animal-derived substances. Some of the FAIR SQUARED products are certified by The Vegan Society. You can see which products are certified in the relevant product description. Here is an extract from the standards:

• Animal-derived ingredients: The manufacturer and/or producer of the certified product must not use any animal products or animal by-products in their product or in the manufacture of the product.
• Animal testing: The development and/or manufacture of the product must not involve, nor have involved, any animal testing. This applies both to the company itself and to any other parties controlling the company.
• Genetically modified organisms: The development and/or manufacture of genetically modified organisms must not involve, nor must it have involved, any genes from animals or substances derived from animals. Products whose genes have been modified must be labelled as such.

More information about the Vegan Society here

Fair Rubber e. V.

Not all the raw materials processed by FAIR SQUARED are covered by the Fairtrade International (FLO). There are simply too many natural raw materials for that. One of these raw materials is natural rubber (in liquid form: latex), better known as rubber. It is extracted from the sap of the tropical tree ‘Hevea brasiliensis’ . The Fair Rubber e.V. association has set itself the aim of ‘contributing to the improvement of the working and living conditions of primary rubber producers by applying the principles of Fair Trade to the trade in rubber products’. That is what it says in the articles of association. But what does that mean?

Fair Trade is good for producers

Fair Rubber is good for people. Primary producers of natural rubber in particular – that is, rubber tappers, plantation workers and smallholders – should have the opportunity to participate in Fair Trade. Yet low prices make it impossible for them to earn a decent living for themselves and their families through their work.

Fair Rubber premium to improve local living conditions

This is where Fair Rubber comes in: by paying a Fair Rubber premium of €0.50 per kg of dry rubber content (DRC), it ensures as far as possible that their production costs are covered even when world market prices are low. Furthermore, thanks to the Fair Rubber premium, there remains a small margin for measures to improve their working and living conditions. As with FLO, decisions on how this premium is used are made by the board of the smallholders’ association, or, in the case of plantations, by a committee comprising selected staff representatives and management delegates.

FAIR SQUARED products certified by Fair Rubber e. V. include condoms and period cups, amongst others.

More information on Fair Rubber here

FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®)

The FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) is committed to promoting the environmentally sound, socially beneficial and economically viable management of forests, so that they are used in a way that meets the social, economic and environmental needs of present and future generations and are preserved in the long term. The FSC® system sets requirements regarding the origin of the timber product used throughout the supply chain (FSC® C137581)

Certified materials throughout the value chain

The following materials may be used in the manufacture of FSC®-certified products: FSC®-certified quantities, controlled timber sources or recycled material. Depending on the type of FSC® label, it is clear whether the product originates solely from FSC-certified forestry (FSC® 100%), is made exclusively from recycled material (FSC® recycled), or is a blend of certified and controlled materials (FSC® Mix). More information here

ICADA – certified natural cosmetics

The Cosmetics Association represents small and medium-sized cosmetics companies in EU and national legislative processes. With its own seat on EU committees, ICADA is able to intervene on behalf of its member companies in legislative proposals and the drafting of regulations, and to provide them with priority information.

Organic and natural cosmetics comprise cosmetic products consisting exclusively of natural substances or derivatives of natural substances, or of permitted preservatives. Organic and natural cosmetics deliberately avoid groups of raw materials that are incompatible with the concept of naturalness:

• organically synthesised colourants
• synthetic fragrances
• ethoxylated raw materials
• Contaminants present in significantly higher proportions relative to the natural substance than occurs in nature
• silicones
• synthetic halogenated organic compounds, synthetic halogenated organic building blocks, synthetic halogenated organic intermediates and resulting compounds such as quaternary compounds or carboxylic compounds
• Petrochemical products such as paraffin oils and waxes
• plant or animal materials subject to species protection (in line with the Nagoya Protocol)
• radioactive irradiation: the treatment of plant and animal raw materials, as well as that of the end product, with ionising radiation is not permitted.

Only cosmetic products that meet at least these requirements may be labelled as organic and natural cosmetics. Fair Squared uses the ICADA Natural Logo on its cosmetic products to indicate to consumers that the product in question is a certified natural cosmetic. Further information can be found here