Fair trade : Definition, principles and implementation at La Plantation

Fair trade is an economic model designed to ensure fair remuneration for producers while adhering to strict social and environmental standards. Unlike conventional trade, fair trade is based on several key principles.

KEY PRINCIPLES OF FAIR TRADE

• Fair Pricing: Producers receive a stable and fair income, covering their production costs while ensuring a decent standard of living.
• Respectful working conditions: No worker exploitation, strict human rights standards, and no child labor.
• Sustainable Production: Environmentally friendly agricultural practices, biodiversity protection, and reduced carbon emissions.

According to the 2023 Fair Trade Observatory by Commerce Équitable France, the fair trade sector in France accounts for €2.1 billion, continuing to grow even in a context of declining food consumption. Internationally sourced products represent 63% of fair trade sales, with spices, coffee, and chocolate being key categories. Fair trade savory groceries account for 4.3% of international fair trade food products.

FAIR TRADE CERTIFICATIONS: REAL GUARANTEES OR MARKETING CLAIMS?

Many labels claim to certify fair trade, but it’s crucial to differentiate real certifications, issued by independent organizations, from commercial labels that use terms like “ethical trade” or “sustainable” without adhering to precise criteria.
Legitimate certifications ensure ethical production and environmental responsibility, backed by regular audits and strict traceability. Among the most recognized certifications:

• Fairtrade / Max Havelaar, through which minimum guaranteed pricing and financial premiums for producers are ensured.
• WFTO is the World Fair Trade Organization and provides certification for the observance of fair practices in business right from the beginning to the end of the supply chain.
• Ecocert Fair Trade, A respected independent fair trade certification.

Reliable fair trade labels are issued by third-party organizations, based on transparent criteria and verifiable traceability. At La Plantation, we prioritize recognized certifications to ensure real social and environmental impact. Certification bodies have monitoring roles and conduct annual audits. This remains their showstopper exercise of holding the companies to real ethical values rather than “fairwashing.”

WHY IS FAIR TRADE IMPORTANT?

 By choosing fair trade products, consumers actively contribute to:

• Fighting poverty by ensuring stable incomes for producers.
• Reducing inequalities by supporting ethical and solidarity-based economic models.
• It preserved traditional agriculture communities that maintain sustainable agriculture practices.

Impact on the Supply Chain

Short supply chains and transparent pricing are encouraged by fair trade, consumers being capable of knowing where the product comes from, who cultivated it, and under what conditions.

Quality and traceability of Fair Trade products

 Strict fair trade standards guarantee high-quality products from cultivation to processing and distribution.

Examples of Fair Trade food products

Le commerce équitable concerne de nombreux aliments du quotidien :

• Cocoa: One of the most prominent fair trade products, ensuring stable incomes for growers.
• Coffee & Tea – Sustainably grown and harvested under fair labor conditions.
• Spices – Pepper, turmeric, cardamom, salt: often cultivated by small-scale farmers who particularly benefit from fair trade. This model guarantees strict traceability and fair wages while preserving local biodiversity.
• Palm Sugar: Traditionally hand-harvested and pesticide-free, fair trade ensures better living conditions for small farmers while preserving ancestral knowledge.

WHY ARE SPICES PARTICULARLY RELEVANT TO FAIR TRADE?

The spice industry relies on traditional farming methods, often involving small producers who are vulnerable to market fluctuations and unfair wages. Fair trade ensures dignified working conditions and preserves agricultural heritage.

TRACEABILITY & QUALITY IN SPICES

At La Plantation, traceability and quality are at the heart of our mission. From cultivation to distribution, we maintain rigorous controls to ensure authentic, high-quality spices.

• Hand-harvested by expert farmers following traditional, eco-friendly methods.
• Naturally sun-dried, without additives or preservatives, preserving aromatic richness.
• Strict quality checks at every stage, ensuring freshness and total traceability from farm to consumer.

This commitment explains why some of our spices are only available in limited quantities during certain seasons.

Healthier, traceable products

Fair Trade spices are often organic (80% of Fair Trade products are also organic, according to the Fair Trade Observatory), without additives or pesticides. Their traceability guarantees their authenticity and quality.

A positive social impact

By choosing Fair Trade spices, consumers are supporting local producers, helping to improve their living conditions and encouraging sustainable farming practices. This choice directly improves their living conditions, provides them with a fair income, and contributes to the education and health of their communities. What’s more, by encouraging these responsible practices, you are actively helping to preserve sustainable farming techniques that respect the environment.

Responsible and committed consumption

Fair trade introduces you to consume in a more ethical ways, in the respect and care for the environment and promotion of fairer economies in the way it builds. In this way, you are helping to build a fairer economy, while protecting the environment through respectful farming practices. This ethical approach gives meaning to your daily consumption and actively contributes to a fairer, more humane society.

Since its founding, La Plantation has established a structured Fair Trade Program based on four pillars:

• Traceability: Full transparency from farm to consumer.
• Food Safety: Farmers receive training in best practices to ensure uncompromising quality.
• Fair Pricing: We buy directly from producers at stable, fair rates.
• Sustainable Logistics: We minimize our carbon footprint while ensuring fresh spice deliveries worldwide.

Since 2019, La Plantation has been certified by WFTO (World Fair Trade Organization). This globally recognized certification guarantees compliance with 10 Fair Trade principles, ensuring ethical labor conditions, fair pricing, sustainable production, and environmental responsibility.

SUPPORTING SMALL-SCALE FARMERS

Our Fair Trade Program, launched in 2019, now supports hundreds of small farmers and family farms across Cambodia through:

• Sustainable farming practices that protect local ecosystems.
• Preserving traditional knowledge, ensuring high-quality production.
• Long-term financial commitments, offering fair prices and pre-financed harvests.

ETHICAL WORKING CONDITIONS & SOCIAL COMMITMENT

 We prioritize dignified working conditions for all our employees:

1.  Fair wages and annual salary reviews.
2. Free meals – Three daily meals in a comfortable canteen.
3. Accommodation support – For workers living far from La Plantation.
4. Regular training – Hygiene, food safety, and cultivation techniques.
5. Free healthcare & insurance coverage.
6. Retirement Plan – Securing financial stability for workers in later life.

EDUCATION & CULTURAL PRESERVATION

We support the Cambodian education system by funding school supplies, teachers’ salaries and scholarships for secondary school and university. We also preserve traditional Khmer architecture by restoring wooden houses and promoting local crafts.

ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENT

Our sustainable approach includes:

• Responsible waste management & pesticide-free agriculture.
• Renewable energy initiatives, including solar panels.
• Active reforestation efforts, enhancing local biodiversity.

When you choose Fair Trade spices, you’re doing much more than just buying a product. It means supporting a sustainable economic model that values the work of producers, protects the environment and guarantees perfect quality.

By choosing Fair Trade certified spices, you are ensuring that small producers are paid a fair wage, enabling them to make a decent living from their work and pass on their ancestral know-how. You’re also helping to preserve ecosystems by promoting responsible farming practices, without pesticides or chemical fertilisers.

It’s also a guarantee of quality and traceability. Each spice is grown, harvested and processed under optimum conditions, guaranteeing intense, natural flavours.

Finally, it’s a commitment to more humane and transparent trade. Buying fair trade means choosing more ethical consumption, which has a positive impact at every stage of the chain, from the producer to your plate!