Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO)
Speaking out for #FairTrade & Trade Justice | repost ≠ endorsement
🌐 fairtrade-advocacy.org
- Building fairer agri-food systems starts with backing the organisations that put women at the centre.👩🏽🌾 When women farmers are organised & supported, unequal power dynamics begin to shift, enabling fairer working conditions & greater influence over their livelihoods & communities. #IYWF2026 @fao.org
- Across Europe, cities & regions are using procurement to support #FairTrade, showing how public spending can contribute to tangible social & environmental impact. The revision of the #PublicProcurement Directive is an opportunity to move beyond lowest-price logic & enable this impact across the EU.
- It's FAIRbruary! 🍌🍫🌹 Every February, Fairtrade invites us to reflect on how the products we consume help ensure fair wages and better working conditions for the people who produce them. Our everyday choices can make a real difference. Learn more ➡️ www.fairbruary.com
- Great to exchange with #Eco-Ready colleagues who, like the CUES EU Project, are working to make sustainable food consumption a reality in the EU 🧑🌾🍎 FTAO's @paolaplk.bsky.social shared insights on how policy, public procurement and food environments can better enable sustainable choices. 📷Eco-Ready
- As the EU revises its Public Procurement rules, the #FairTrade Movement calls on the Commission to make sustainability & social impact the norm. 🌱👥 Every year, EU public authorities spend €2 trillion on procurement. Yet less than 15% of contracts are green, while social criteria remain overlooked.
- We call for: ➡️ Value-based (not price-driven) procurement ➡️ Legal certainty for social, human rights & Fair Trade criteria ➡️ Fair, transparent supply chains grounded in traceability & due diligence ➡️ Simpler rules & real SME inclusion Our full list of demands👉 fairtrade-advocacy.org/posts/219-th...
- The right to safe, nutritious & sustainable food is a fundamental right, yet not guaranteed across the EU. Through #GoodFood4All, we call for fair & sustainable food systems: ✔️ Food for all ✔️ Fair incomes for farmers & workers ✔️ End food speculation ✔️ Protect nature ✍️ eci.ec.europa.eu/053/public
- Thrilled to engage with 100+ producers from the Fairtrade Network of Asia & Pacific Producers (NAPP) alongside Fairtrade International to share updates on the EU #CSDDD & its implications on the ground. 👥🌱 Inspiring to see strong human rights & environmental due diligence work across the region.
- This week, FTAO's @virginiaenssle.bsky.social joined the @eesc.bsky.social at the 4th EU–Viet Nam DAG-to-DAG meeting. We highlighted how #EUDR is impacting smallholder farmers & cooperatives, shared Fair Trade perspectives & called for stronger EU support, technical assistance and clearer guidance.
- 🧶👕 As a member of the Ecodesign Forum, the FTAO is clsoely following the ongoing #ESPR study on textile requirements, Green Public Procurement & revision of the EU Ecolabel. We have raised concerns about missing raw materials, natural fibres & smallholder farmers, despite their role in the sector.
- The FTAO welcomes the UN's decision to declare 2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer.👩🏽🌾 Women make up 41% of the global agri-food workforce, yet many face precarious work & limited rights. We hope #IYWF2026 drives action for fairer trade, decent livelihoods & real power for women farmers.
- How can evidence-based approaches drive Europe’s shift to sustainable consumption? 🍎 Join the CUES EU Project webinar tomorrow to discuss what shapes consumer behaviour and explore best practices for a fair, green transition. Details & registration 👇 cuesproject.eu/event/cues-w...
- 🚨 Join our team! We are looking for a flexible, proactive & enthusiastic colleague to support our advocacy work & contribute to the global #FairTrade Movement. 📍 Brussels, Belgium 💼 6-month paid traineeship with possible extension 📩 Apply by 18 January! More info: fairtrade-advocacy.org/posts/212
- The #FairTrade Movement acknowledges the delay of the #EUDR and urges that this time be used to invest in traceability, partnerships & shared responsibility. Without real support, many smallholders will remain at risk of exclusion from EU markets.🌳🧑🌾 Our statement➡️ fairtrade-advocacy.org/posts/211
- 🚨CALL FOR PROPOSALS! We are seeking a research partner on location traceability in textile supply chains. This short-term consultancy will inform our advocacy on the Textile Labelling Regulation & the Digital Product Passport. 📝 Apply by 15 January 👉 More info: fairtrade-advocacy.org/posts/208
- 🌱 The Commission's proposal to simplify the #EUOrganic regulation is a step forward. We urge MEPs & Member States to adopt it swiftly and ensure organic rules address the challenges faced by organic farmers, within & beyond EU borders. 📄 Our statement with Fairtrade International: bit.ly/4aohVLF
- Last week, the European Commission published its long-awaited evaluation of the EU Directive on Unfair Trading Practices - #UTPs in the agri-food supply chain, highlighting many concerns the #FairTrade Movement has raised for years.🌾 Read more ➡️ fairtrade-advocacy.org/posts/204
- The #FairTrade Movement regrets the trilogue deal on #CSDDD. It offers neither the level playing field responsible companies need nor the protection farming communities & workers deserve. 🏭Limits scope to the largest companies ✂️Scraps safeguards against irresponsible disengagement 📆Delayed to 2029
- This outcome falls below international standards & creates uncertainty for companies already investing in due diligence. ⚠️ The #FairTrade Movement calls on Member States & the Commission to address gaps during transposition and implementation guidelines. 📄Our full reaction: bit.ly/4rQHR8R
- Earning a living income is not a privilege, it's a human right. At the FTAO, we push for bans on unfair trading practices, fair procurement, due diligence & fair trade agreements to make this a reality. On #HumanRightsDay, we urge policymakers to recognise this fundamental right & act accordingly.
- Last week, @paolaplk.bsky.social joined the CLEVERFOOD Roundtable on sustainable public food procurement. As we prepare our input to the Commission’s consultation on the #PublicProcurement Directives, we urge farmers organisations, SMEs & authorities to make their voices heard. ➡️ bit.ly/4iMspXq
- Excited to see our #FairTrade Advocacy Marathon & Breakfast at the European Parliament featured on Rai3! Spaziolibero highlighted our work bringing smallholder farmers’ & workers’ voices into EU policymaking. Thanks to all who made it possible! 📺Watch the full show: www.raiplay.it/video/2025/1...
- "Inclusive governance starts by listening to those most affected. Designing policies in Brussels without smallholders, producers & workers can only lead to mismatched realities” 🗣️ @paolaplk.bsky.social at the Danish Presidency Conference on transformative governance for food systems & biodiversity.
- The FTAO welcomes the Commission's evaluation of the #UTP Directive.⚖️ Despite the progress, farmers still face challenges: sales below cost, weak enforcement & fear of retaliation. The 2026 revision of the Directive is crucial to transform recognition into real protection. 👉 bit.ly/48x4giP
- Black Friday deals come at a cost. ❌ Workers & farmers deprived of living wages & living incomes ❌ Unsafe conditions ❌ Environmental damage Cheap fashion isn’t cheap when people & planet pay the price. 📄 Our priorities to raise green and social ambition in EU textiles: bit.ly/3KjjHDd
- This week, FTAO's Alena Kahle joined experts at #Zukunftsforum in Zurich to discuss how policy can make the textile sector fair & sustainable. Alena called for coherent frameworks & fair market conditions to make sustainability the easy choice. Thanks to organisers & speakers for the insights! 👏
- Greetings from Luanda! 📍👋 This week, our Senior Policy and Project Officer, @paolaplk.bsky.social, is in Angola for the AU-EU Civil Society & Youth Forum, where 100 African and European civil society and youth leaders are working together to prepare recommendations ahead of the #AUEUSummit.
- Yesterday, @jorgeconesa.bsky.social joined GLOBE EU to discuss the future of agriculture. Resilient systems can't be built without fairness: living incomes, UTP rules, transparency & sustainability incentives must be central. Thanks @manuelaripa.bsky.social, @gerbrandy.bsky.social & all speakers.
- The European Commission's push to update #Organic rules is a welcome step, but it must be done wisely: 👩🌾 protecting smallholders; ✂️ cutting certification costs; 🌱 ensuring a smooth transition to prevent supply disruptions and safeguard global organic supply chains. Our feedback 👉 bit.ly/48lQcts
- Our collaborator, Tara Scally, met with Indonesian union leaders Emelia Yanti Siahaan (GSBI) & Elly Rosita Silaban (KSBSI).🤝 They discussed challenges & developments in textile supply chains ahead of EU policy debates on the Digital Product Passport & the revision of Textile Labelling Regulation.
- As #AGRIFISH ministers debate the post-2027 EU farm subsidies policy, the FTAO joins 30+ organisations representing farmers, civil society & national coalitions calling for a #CAP that delivers for farmers, people & planet. Our recommendations to #MakeCAPWork⤵️ bit.ly/4oKi5kN
- The FTAO regrets the European Parliament’s failure to safeguard core protections in the #CSDDD. ⚠️ Weak rules risk leaving smallholders & workers behind, undermining supply chain resilience. Co-legislators must use trilogue negotiations to restore ambition and ensure #CSDDD delivers on its purpose.
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- Shamsiya, a cotton producer from Tajikistan, spoke at the European Parliament’s #FairTrade Breakfast about how living incomes transform lives. 🌱🤝 Tomorrow’s #Omnibus vote is a chance for MEPs to back an ambitious #CSDDD that helps make this possible for all farmers, workers & artisans.
- Delighted to celebrate the #FairTrade Breakfast at the European Parliament, hosted by @bernd-lange.bsky.social & the Fair Trade Working Group. We explored cooperatives, living incomes & wages with inspiring voices from across the movement. Thanks to MEPs, Commission & CSO allies for joining us.
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- The #FairTrade Advocacy Marathon 2025 is officially ON! We’re thrilled to bring the Movement together to dive into key topics: 🌍 Fair Trade for a warming world 🤝 Bridging EU & national advocacy ☕ Transparency in supply chains 🛍️ Fair consumption & fashion 📣 Stronger communication And much more!
- Grateful to MEPs @larawolters.bsky.social & @maritmaij.bsky.social for welcoming cotton producer Shamsiya Shamsiddinova from Tajikistan & the FTAO to the European Parliament today. We look forward to continuing our work to ensure smallholder farmers' realities are at the heart of trade structures.
- The EU Commission is gearing up to revise the Directive on Unfair Trading Practices (UTPs). At the FTAO, we welcome steps to improve farmers' position, but key gaps remain: 🛡️ Non-EU suppliers lack protection 💰 Below-cost buying persists 🗣️ Fear silences complaints Our position ➡️ bit.ly/4omgNfA
- 📚 The next #FairTradeReadingClub is coming up! Hosted by Prof. Magdalena Śliwińska, we’ll explore Fair Trade’s roots & evolution with Prof. Peter van Dam, author of Fair Trade: Humanitarianism in the Age of Postcolonial Globalization. 📍 Online ✍️ Register to join us: lnkd.in/e5BRA4_t
- Delighted to be part of the @coordcomerciojusto.bsky.social Assembly last weekend. Thank you for the warm invitation and for continuing to build bridges that connect national realities with the work we do at the EU level.
- 🔵 The FTAO joins over 140 EU & non-EU CSOs to call on MEPs to back a strong, fair #Omnibus deal that protects workers, communities & our planet. An ambitious #CSDDD must: ✅ Cover more companies ✅ Include a serious climate commitment ✅ Guarantee access to justice @eccjorg.bsky.social
- The FTAO joined 200+ industry stakeholders, EU institutions & CSOs at the European Sustainable Industry Summit. European companies see sustainability as key to their long-term resilience & competitiveness. We hope the EU co-legislators use corporate sustainability rules to match this ambition.
- The International #FairTrade Towns Conference is coming to Belgium next year! 🎉 We’re already excited - check out the teaser 👇
- Thrilled to be in Gent with the International Working Group on Ethical Public Procurement, exchanging ideas on how #PublicProcurement can drive social & environmental responsibility. With the revision of the 2014 Directives coming up, now’s the time to make procurement a force for good! 🌱
- 🚨 The European Parliament has rejected the #Omnibus compromise, giving MEPs a crucial opportunity to restore core protections in the #CSDDD. The Fair Trade Movement calls on MEPs to raise ambition & protect farmers, workers & responsible businesses. Our joint statement 👉 bit.ly/3WlDcNQ
- The FTAO welcomes the EU Commission’s move away from a full #EUDR delay but warns: transitional measures must not slow progress.🛑 Fair, timely implementation requires strong partnerships to protect forests, livelihoods & promote sustainable trade. Our views 👉 fairtrade-advocacy.org/posts/198-no...
