World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO)
The World Fair Trade Organization is the global network of businesses built on fair trade. Instead of certifying a single crop or product, it looks at the whole enterprise: how workers are paid, how decisions are made, how the business trades with its producers, and what conditions are like where the work is done. Every brand on this page holds current WFTO membership, which we confirm before listing.
See The Labour Movement on the WFTO website (opens in a new tab)Look for this badge
Where WFTO members are active
Impacted across the WFTO network, by its own count
As IFAT, now the World Fair Trade Organization
Figures from WFTO, last checked October 2026.
Here's what WFTO certification actually means
Most fair trade labels you see on a product, like a coffee bag or a chocolate bar, certify that one ingredient met a standard at one point in the supply chain. WFTO works differently. Its Guarantee System isn't a product certification. It checks that fair trade is practised across the whole organisation and its supply chain.
To become WFTO Guaranteed, a business goes through self-assessment, independent monitoring audits and peer visits. WFTO also runs the Fair Trade Accountability Watch, which lets anyone report a member they believe isn't meeting the standard.
Guaranteed members must practise all 10 Principles, and can then use the Guaranteed Fair Trade label on their products. That whole-business approach suits the kinds of products you'll find here, like handmade goods, textiles, home goods, jewelry and toys, which certifiers built around single commodities often don't cover.
The 10 WFTO Principles at a glance
| Principle | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Opportunities for marginalised producers | Help small producers move from income insecurity toward self-sufficiency |
| Transparency and accountability | Open management and trade, with staff, members and producers involved in decisions |
| Fair trading practices | Long-term relationships, commitments honoured on time, and prepayment on handicraft orders |
| Fair payment | Prices agreed by all parties, equal pay for equal work, and a local living wage as the aim |
| No child or forced labour | Forced labour prohibited, and children's rights protected under the UN Convention |
| Non-discrimination, gender equity and freedom of association | Equal treatment, women's economic empowerment and the right to organise |
| Good working conditions | Safe, healthy workplaces that meet national law and ILO standards |
| Capacity building | Training and support so producers can build skills and reach markets |
| Promoting fair trade | Honest marketing, and clear information about products and producers |
| Climate action and the environment | Conserve resources, cut emissions and build climate resilience |
Why this all matters
When a brand is WFTO Guaranteed, a few things change that you'd never see from the outside.
The people making the products aren't anonymous. Payment is agreed with them, not set for them, and it aims for a local living wage, which WFTO defines as enough "to afford a decent standard of living for the Worker and her or his family." That's a different measure from a national minimum wage, which may not have kept up with real costs.
Working conditions are checked through audits and peer visits, and there's a public way to report problems. No label removes every risk, but this one comes with ongoing checks rather than a one-time promise.
None of this is aid or charity. WFTO members are real enterprises run by skilled people, and fair trade means paying them properly for work they already do well.
It works because enough people choose to buy it. Every purchase from a Guaranteed brand adds to the demand that keeps these terms possible, and concentrated demand has shifted whole industries before, as it did with organic food.
With and without WFTO: a quick comparison
| Without certification | With WFTO certification |
|---|---|
| Fair trade claims are self-declared | Practices checked through self-assessment, audits and peer visits |
| Pay set by the buyer | Prices agreed with producers, aiming for a local living wage |
| Working conditions unverified | Conditions checked against national law and ILO standards |
| Supply chain kept private | Transparency and accountability required |
| No way to report problems | Anyone can raise a concern through the Fair Trade Accountability Watch |
Shop verified WFTO brands
- Live on TLM
Olive+Comet
Organic canvas bags handmade in Kolkata, India, plus bamboo flatware and enamel mugs, from a plastic-free Florida brand.
Shop Olive+Comet → - Live on TLM
Sabahar
Handwoven cotton and silk textiles from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, made by silk farmers, spinners and weavers under WFTO fair trade standards.
Shop Sabahar → -
Coming soon
bebemoss
Handmade toys by women in Turkey, many Syrian refugee mothers. WFTO Guaranteed.
Products coming soon
-
Coming soon
Indo Naturals
Accessories, home goods and skincare from empowerment-focused producers across Indonesia. WFTO Guaranteed.
Products coming soon
-
Coming soon
Eco Femme
Made near Auroville, India by local women's tailoring units paid above local minimum wage. WFTO Guaranteed.
Products coming soon
-
Coming soon
BaSE
Over 45 years working with marginalized women artisans in rural Bangladesh. WFTO Guaranteed.
Products coming soon
-
Coming soon
KILIIM
Handmade rugs and textiles committed to WFTO standards on fair wages and safe conditions. WFTO Provisional Member.
Products coming soon
-
Coming soon
INTERCRAFTS PERU
Founded by Peruvian artisans to create a fair market for their own work and other local makers. WFTO Member.
Products coming soon
-
Coming soon
Ten Thousand Villages
One of the oldest fair trade organizations in the world and a WFTO co-founder. Works with 35+ artisan groups worldwide.
Products coming soon
About WFTO certification
Is WFTO the same as Fair Trade USA or Fairtrade International?
No. Fair Trade USA and Fairtrade International mostly certify specific products and commodities, like coffee, cocoa, cotton and bananas. WFTO checks the whole business instead, which makes it a better fit for handmade goods, textiles and home goods, where the product isn't a single crop. All three share the same core fair trade commitments, but they measure different things.
Does WFTO certification guarantee ethical practices?
No certification can rule out every problem, and WFTO doesn't claim to. What it does is reduce risk and create accountability: members are checked through self-assessment, independent audits and peer visits, and anyone can report a concern. On top of that, we review every brand on The Labour Movement each year rather than relying on the certificate alone.
Do WFTO-certified products cost more?
It depends on what you compare them to. Next to other handmade goods from artisan brands or boutique shops, prices are often similar. Next to the cheapest mass-produced versions, fair trade usually costs more, because those low prices often depend on costs pushed onto someone else: a worker paid less than they can live on, or environmental damage nobody pays for. A fair trade price includes what it actually costs to make something properly.
How does The Labour Movement check WFTO claims?
We confirm a brand's current WFTO 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.