OUR WORKING METHODS & MISSION

FairForward offers developing trade. Together with our business partners in Africa, Asia and Latin-America our way of working contributes to fight poverty. We built profitable and durable trade relations, keeping respect for everyone’s dignity and independency.

How we work: Development trade

FairForward offers it’s trading partners access to the export market. This creates employment opportunities and improves the income of producers and employees. FairForward aims to start long term relations with trading partners who support the fair trade principles and believe in development trade. The cooperation usually starts very practical: purchasing products which are interesting for the European market.

Our trading partners are the link for the producers to the export market. They receive the orders, place them at the producers and support them where necessary in production, collect the products, make the payments to the producers and arrange transportation and export. Some of our trading partners provide production as well.

In production the producers will have had each product in their hands. For instance the basket weavers in Bangladesh who work at home and deliver their orders once a week. Or the employees of a ceramic factory in Thailand where the working conditions are fully alright. And the glass blowers in Bolivia who are happy to work at a factory where it’s safe and comfortable to work. The ways the producers work together is as diverse as the products they produce. The similarity is they all live and work in a developing country in Africa, Asia or Latin-America, fall within a disadvantaged position and the fact they are organized to improve their situation. Separately they have no or hardly any access to the (international) market for their products: cooperating increases their chances. FairForward does not buy from individual producers, just through it’s trading partners. They are the crucial chain to FairForward to reach the producers or employees. The efforts aimed at development at the trading partners contributes to the long term chances at the export markets for the producers and it’s employees.