You might notice something unusual on our Congolese coffee packs: the Fairtrade logo is temporarily missing. Here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This change has nothing to do with product quality: it is directly linked to the ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, which currently prevents Fairtrade\u2019s independent auditors from carrying out onsite inspections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our fair trade coffee is grown in a region that has been devastated by armed conflict for years. Today, conditions are so unsafe that Fairtrade\u2019s independent auditors (whose job is to verify minimum prices, premiums and working conditions) can no longer travel there to conduct onsite inspections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a result, Fairtrade International has decided not<\/em> to renew the certification of the affected cooperatives for the time being. This decision is entirely related to the security situation in the East of the DRC and not<\/em> to any wrongdoing by the cooperatives. It simply and unfortunately reflects the impossibility of carrying out reliable and independent audits in a war zone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Because fair trade matters most<\/em> where farmers face the hardest and most unequal conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Losing the Fairtrade label because of insecurity, when you are a cooperative located in the middle of a conflict zone, is bitterly unfair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We remain, however, both realistic and transparent. Within the cooperatives themselves, some challenges persist: internal organisation, governance, transparency\u2026 We are upfront about these challenges, and we are actively tackling them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even without the Fairtrade label on the packaging, our commitments remain unchanged: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Together with our partners, we have launched a multiyear improvement programme to support these efforts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Oxfam has set up an independent capacitybuilding programme to help cooperatives strengthen their structures. It focuses on: <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is not a\u00a0one-off\u00a0measure, but a long-term commitment,\u00a0tailored to the reality of producers who continue growing coffee under extremely difficult conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Buy Oxfam Fair Trade coffee. With or without the logo, it remains 100% fair.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhy\u00a0losing the Fairtrade\u00a0logo\u00a0matters for\u00a0farmers in\u00a0conflict-affected\u00a0Congo<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Fair Trade, even without the logo<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Supporting cooperatives toward sustainable Fairtrade certification<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Fair trade coffee. Temporarily without the Fairtrade logo.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t