Some companies may need to register as a Fairtrade trader rather than as a Fairtrade licensee.
Traders are usually companies who sell unfinished Fairtrade products, raw materials and ingredients to other Fairtrade registered companies who are either also acting as traders or are licensees making a final Fairtrade product.
Reasons you may need to apply to become a Fairtrade trader include:
- You want to take ownership of unfinished Fairtrade products or ingredients. You do not have to process or alter the Fairtrade products in order to be considered a Fairtrade trader. You could just be storing ingredients or taking documentary ownership only.
- You intend to sell unfinished products to a registered Fairtrade operator.
- You are not already licensed by the Fairtrade Foundation, Fairtrade International or any other Fairtrade Labelling Initiative to use the FAIRTRADE Mark on finished products.
Traders wanting to register with Fairtrade must complete an application form and sign a registration agreement. Full supply chains for the products they will be trading must be provided. The fees for traders are £500 for 2014 and then £750 for each year afterwards.
If you think you may need to become a Fairtrade trader and are selling any of your Fairtrade products internationally please contact our international organisation, FLO-Cert.
If you think you may need to be registered as a Fairtrade trader and are selling within the UK only, please contact us – see details on the Contact us page.
If a company wishes to use the FAIRTRADE Mark on their product it must register as a licensee.