Fair Trade USA
Fair Trade USA certifies products from farms, fisheries and factories, including apparel and home goods. For every certified product sold, a Premium goes back to the workers or farmers who made it, and they decide together how to spend it.
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Under the Factory Production Standard
Generated by factory partners
In the Factory Production Standard
Figures from Fair Trade USA, last checked October 2026.
Here's what Fair Trade USA certification actually means
Fair Trade USA has separate standards for agriculture, fisheries and factories. Its Factory Production Standard, used for apparel and home goods, sets more than 100 criteria across four areas: social responsibility, environmental responsibility, employee empowerment and economic development.
The economic part works through a Premium. Brands pay it for each certified product sold, and it returns to workers as Community Development Funds. A Fair Trade Committee elected by the workers decides which projects the money supports.
Compliance with the standards is independently verified.
What Fair Trade USA certification covers
| Standard | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Social responsibility | Fair wages, safe conditions and respect for workers' rights |
| Environmental responsibility | Environmental action required under its factory, farm and fishery standards |
| Employee empowerment | A democratically elected Fair Trade Committee represents workers |
| Economic development | A Premium on certified products funds projects workers choose |
| Independent verification | Compliance checked against more than 100 criteria in the factory standard |
Why this all matters
A factory job's value depends on what it pays and how people are treated. Fair Trade USA ties a share of every sale directly to the workers who made the product.
Because workers decide how the funds are spent, the money goes where they see the most need. That's partnership, not charity.
The more certified products sell, the more Premium flows back to the people who made them.
With and without Fair Trade USA: a quick comparison
| Without certification | With Fair Trade USA certification |
|---|---|
| Workers get no share of sales | A Premium on every certified product returns to workers |
| Spending decided by others | Workers elect the committee that decides |
| Conditions self-reported | Independently verified against 100+ criteria |
| Environmental action optional | Environmental requirements built into the standard |
Shop verified Fair Trade USA brands
- Live on TLM
Nest Bedding
Organic cotton sheets and duvet covers made in India with Fair Trade Certified cotton, from a family-owned California bedding company.
Shop Nest Bedding →
About Fair Trade USA certification
Is Fair Trade USA the same as Fairtrade International?
No. They're separate organizations with their own standards and labels: Fair Trade USA uses the Fair Trade Certified seal, and Fairtrade International the FAIRTRADE Mark. Both are part of the wider fair trade movement, and both return a premium that producers invest.
How does The Labour Movement check Fair Trade USA claims?
We confirm a brand's current Fair Trade USA certification status before it's listed and ask for supporting documents where we need them. Every brand is also vetted against our own fair trade standards and reviewed each year, because a certification is a strong signal but not a substitute for ongoing checks.