‘Fair Trade’ Project helped establish mutual dialogue between social enterprises from Türkiye and World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO), facilitating transfer of WFTO’s valuable knowledge on fair trade to Türkiye. The project was also instrumental in raising awareness among stakeholders in social economy ecosystem of Türkiye on fair trade practices.
“Our project focused on facilitating the process of connecting entrepreneurs to the global fair trade network. It was also our objective to enable entrepreneurs to engage in advocacy activities on fair trade practices, supply chains and the market.” Mehmet Sarıca, Chairman of the Board of Directors of INOGAR Cooperative, summarised the objectives and targets of the “Building Networks for Social Enterprises: Fair Trade Türkiye”, in short “Fair Trade” Project, implemented in the Sixth Phase of the Civil Society Dialogue Programme.
The Fair Trade Network was established as part of the project carried out in partnership with INOGAR Cooperative and the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO). The project established a community by bringing together social enterprises in Türkiye, assisted social enterprises in implementing fair trade business practices and production, as well as connecting them to the global Fair Trade community and markets.
Collaboration between social enterprises
Trainings and advocacy activities were carried out on fair trade practices, fair trade supply chains and markets to connect entrepreneurs interested in trade to the global Fair Trade Network. Cooperation between social enterprises was strengthened with trainings and roundtable meetings held in seven cities, Adana, Ankara, Denizli, Gaziantep, İstanbul, İzmir, and Mersin. Project Coordinator Çiğdem Çiyitoğlu said that they have facilitated the implementation of a concept in Türkiye that is already common and pervasive in Europe, hence creating an impact for enterprises and making the concept of fair trade well-known in Türkiye.
The “Fair Trade Türkiye Network”, established within the scope of the project, brought all stakeholders, from enterprises to policy makers, together. This network of social entrepreneurs, government, civil society, and private sector representatives was designed thanks to WFTO and global communities to establish connections for social enterprises from Türkiye, and to initiate subsidiary policies and opportunities.
Closing Meeting and Fair Trade Protocol
The “Fair Trade” Project was a success in bringing forth the concept of fair trade in Türkiye, as well as carrying out awareness-raising activities to ensure the implementation of fair trade practices for social entrepreneurs and social economy stakeholders. The Closing Meeting of the project was held in Istanbul in June 2022.
The Meeting kicked off with the “European Union Project Funds and Fair Trade Türkiye Project” session, with the participation of INOGAR Cooperative Founding Partner Mert Fırat, INOGAR Cooperative Chairman of the Board Mehmet Sarıca and Director General for Financial Cooperation and Project Implementation of the Directorate for EU Affairs Bülent Özcan.
The session was followed by the panel titled “Best Practices on Fair Trade in Turkey and Experience Sharing”. The panel featured İhtiyaç Haritası (Needs Map) Executive Director Evren Aydoğan, fair enterprise BebeMoss Production Planning Specialist Nihal Ergin and Good4Trust Founder and INOGAR Cooperative Partner Uygar Özesmi as speakers, and was moderated by Prof. Dr Itır Erhart, founder of “Adım Adım”, “Açık Açık” initiatives and INOGAR Board Member.
The Closing Meeting continued with WFTO Guarantee System Manager Tamara Cobussen’s session on WFTO and Alternative Business Models. The cooperation protocol, one of the most significant achievements of the project, was signed between INOGAR and WFTO in the meeting.
What is fair trade?
The project website, that include the activities and outputs of the “Fair Trade” Project, details the definition of fair trade and activities carried out by fair trade organisations. Here are some highlights from the website that can be reached at https://fairtradetr.org/
“Fair trade is a trade partnership based on dialogue, transparency and respect that seeks greater equality in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions and securing the rights of marginalised producers and workers.
“Fair Trade is more than just trade; by presenting a vision of business and commerce that puts people and the planet before profit, it combats poverty, climate change, gender inequality and injustice as a concept that showcases the institutional models of the new economy.
“Fair Trade Organisations have a clear commitment to fair trade as the core of their mission. Supported by conscious consumers, these companies are actively involved in supporting farmers and producers to achieve good working conditions and fair pay for their work, as well as raising awareness and campaigns for changes in the rules and practice of traditional international trade.
“Global WFTO membership consists of more than 400 verified Fair Trade Organisations from 82 countries. All members of WFTO and organisations wishing to use the WFTO Guaranteed Fair Trade label on their products are verified and audited by the WFTO according to the ’10 Principles of Fair Trade’.”