Why do so many different Fairtrade labels exist?
The Fairtrade Labelling system started in the Netherlands in 1989, where coffee was the first labelled product. The Dutch label is called ‘Max Havelaar’, after a best-selling 19th century book about the exploitation of Javanese coffee plantation workers by Dutch colonial merchants. After this first initiative, other National labelling Initiatives soon followed, some using the same name, others introducing new names, like TransFair, Fairtrade Foundation and Rättvisemarkt. They all started individually, and therefore each defined for their market the Fairtrade Consumer Label they wanted on the products. In 1997, these 17 National Initiatives together founded an umbrella organisation, FLO-International. From that moment on, the NIs and FLO have recognised the need for a single logo for a long time, mainly for two reasons: it increases clarity for consumers and it makes cross-border trade easier. At the same time, the cost of introducing a new logo, finding a Mark that works in all countri
