FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT NATURLAND FAIR
Naturland Fair is a product quality seal. We award our organic and fair farming logo to companies and producers that are committed to championing organic farming methods, social working conditions and fair cooperation.
The Naturland Fair seal is a voluntary, supplementary certification that existing Naturland-certified producers and companies can apply for. By applying for this seal not only are they committing to adhering to the organic and social standards of our Naturland organic certification, but also to our "Fair criteria". This means paying fair prices, fair premiums (where applicable) and a living wage, fostering long-term and reliable trade relationships, sourcing raw materials locally and participating in social engagement projects.
Our aim with Naturland Fair is to improve the lives of farmers for the long term. Our motto is “Cooperation over competition and exploitation”. This is why we have been campaigning for fair trade since the eighties and have been supporting farmers around the world in collaboration with our committed Naturland Fair partners.
This is how it works:
STRONG COOPERATION: Our Naturland Fair programme is based on long-term, reliable trade relationships between producers and Naturland Fair partners. This helps farmers to plan far in advance.
FAIR PRICES: Naturland Fair partners pay a fair price to cover their producers’ production and living costs and allow them and their employees to lead a dignified life.
FAIR PREMIUMS: In order to reduce social, ecological and economic inequality around the world, Naturland Fair partners also pay a premium for produce from countries in the Global South. These additional resources make it possible for producers to improve their living conditions while also investing in organic farming methods and social responsibility.
PROMOTING ORGANIC FARMING: With help from our Naturland Fair partners, we can support farmers when they want to convert to environmentally friendly farming practices.
SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT: Naturland Fair partners are committed to fair trade through and through. This also involves being socially engaged in projects for and in their local region.
Whether they're in Spain, Greece or Germany, many farmers in Europe are fighting to survive. Small and medium-sized farms are especially hard hit. We lose 400,000 farms per year in the EU. What’s worse, is that family farms are the pillars of society in both the Global South and the Global North. They breathe life into our cultivated landscapes, promote biodiversity and create sustainable regional economies. For us, fair trade is a global movement – farmers should be able to make a living from their work no matter where they live. That's why companies from all four corners of the globe can be Naturland Fair-certified, even if they are based in Europe. All they need to do is commit to being organic, social and fair!
Naturland verifies compliance with its organic, social and fair standards once a year. The inspections are carried out by independent inspection bodies. In addition to annual inspections, farms are also subject to unannounced spot checks based on the perceived risks.
An extra checklist is used for our Fair standards to verify that the Fair criteria are met.
All Naturland Fair products carry the Naturland Fair seal. It's usually placed on the front of the product packaging so that it's easy to spot.
Naturland Fair products can be found in fair trade shops, health food shops and organic supermarkets, as well as pharmacies and supermarkets such as Rewe, DM, Rossmann, Tegut and Edeka.
Some Naturland Fair producers in Germany sell their products directly to consumers from their own farms, at farmers’ markets or in fair trade produce subscription boxes.
You can find out more about our Naturland Fair partner companies’ commitments and individual farmers through each partner.
You can also see all the countries where Naturland Fair products are produced in our interactive world map. Go to world map
Naturland Fair products that only contain one ingredient such as tea, coffee, milk and cereals are 100% fair trade. The proportion of fair trade raw ingredients contained in Naturland Fair products made of several ingredients is indicated on the product packaging. It's always at least 50% and must be increased as and when more certified Naturland Fair ingredients become available. Naturland Fair products are always produced in accordance with our organic standards.
Unlike other fair trade standards, Naturland also certifies produce from the Global North (e.g. Europe). In addition, our fair trade products are always produced organically.
We constantly expand and improve our standards and they are regularly scrutinised in standard comparisons. The most comprehensive comparison of fair trade standards from around the world is currently the “International Guide to Fair Trade Labels”.
It's available here: International Label Guide
