Fair Trade Enterprises: Creating a Fair and Inclusive Economy for Everyone

Sophie Tack, President, World Fair Trade Organization

 IWD 2025

"The World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) is the global community and verifier of visionary Micro Small and Medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) that believes that a new economy is possible. It stands as a collective of entrepreneurial activists and changemakers who are at the forefront of advocating for an equitable and sustainable world.

"Despite significant strides in gender equality at work over the past century, progress in closing gender gaps remains slow and incomplete. Gender discrimination continues to permeate workplaces worldwide, creating barriers that extend across our societies. The gender pay gap, underrepresentation in senior roles, limited training opportunities, pregnancy discrimination, and workplace harassment are just some of the ways this inequality manifests.

"Fair Trade Enterprises believe that workplaces can and should be a force for good, fostering safe and inclusive environments where all individuals can thrive. That is why Gender Equity—our Principle 6—is fundamental to WFTO’s vision of fairness and inclusion. With our transformative business model, we are intentionally structured to dismantle gender-based inequalities. We ensure that women and other marginalised groups are not just participants in supply chains but active contributors, decision-makers, and beneficiaries.

"Fair Trade Enterprises continuously bridge the gender gap by offering equal opportunities, breaking the chains of outdated norms, and fostering environments where talent and skill transcend gender boundaries.

"Up to 78% of livelihoods (employees, casual workers, and primary producers) engaged with Fair Trade Enterprises are women. As a result, a majority of Fair Trade Enterprises are women-led. A double win considering that women in Fair Trade Enterprises are also four times more likely to reach senior management positions than women in conventional businesses. These enterprises demonstrate that providing women with training, empowering them with knowledge of their legal rights, and offering leadership opportunities significantly enhance business performance.

"WFTO’s ongoing campaign, #BusinessRevolution, reflects this approach as it represents a radical shift in the way we perceive and conduct business. It marks a departure from traditional profit-centric, unfair business models towards a new paradigm—one where businesses actively contribute to the global well-being of people and the planet, with gender equity and inclusivity at its core.

"Gender equality is a human right, not a debate.

"Gender justice is at the heart of WFTO’s mission to build a new, fair, and just economy—not just on the 8th of March, but every day!"