March 30, 2026 by Miles Hadfield, Co-op News digital editor. Original. 

Fairtrade International has launched its Global Strategy 2026 – 2028, hailing “a bold and innovative plan” to build farmer resilience and “advance fair and sustainable trade”.

It says the strategy responds directly to immediate market needs and producer realities, such as fair prices, market access, and climate adaptation, and will work to strengthen collaboration between producers and businesses enabling them to respond effectively to external pressures such geopolitical instability, climate change, evolving consumer values, and an expanding regulatory market.

“Fairtrade was built for moments like this,” said Marike Runneboom de Peña, Global CEO of Fairtrade International. “With decades of experience supporting farmers and workers through market, climate and supply chain disruptions, we know what is needed.

“Now is the time to pivot, strengthen resilience, and ensure farmers and workers are better equipped to face today’s challenges and those ahead.”

The strategy is focused on three main goals, says Fairtrade – fostering sustainable livelihoods, advancing resilient and fair supply chains, and inspiring a collective commitment to fair and sustainable trade – all of which are designed to advance market access, create shared value, and strengthen fairer and more resilient trade.

Interview: Marike Runneboom de Peña on reshaping Fairtrade rules to fit producer needs 

To achieve them, Fairtrade will implement a series of digital and data solutions that deliver value to farmers and commercial partners. In addition, an expanded and diversified fundraising programme will allow Fairtrade to invest in training/programmes for farmers and workers.

Success for Fairtrade in 2028, said de Peña. will be “a world in which farmers and workers are better equipped to respond to economic, social, and environmental shocks, and their livelihoods have improved significantly. Meanwhile, businesses and producers will have benefitted from supply chains that are more transparent, equitable, and resilient.”

She added: “If this global strategy is impactful as we intend it to be, belief, trust, credibility, and participation in the Fairtrade system will have grown thanks to expanding and new partnerships, as well as consumer interest in Fairtrade products,” she said.

Fairtrade says the plan was developed using an “active, participatory approach, which includes input from the Fairtrade system that is made up of 19 national Fairtrade offices, eight Fairtrade marketing offices, three producer networks, and most importantly 1.9 million farmers and workers located throughout the world”.

Co-op News is a magazine and news website that connects, champions and challenges co-ops and co-operators around the world! 

We were founded in 1871 by retail societies in the UK, who wanted their own press organ to share news, ideas, successes and challenges. You can find out more about our past here. 

Today, Co-op News – which is run by a co-op, Co-operative Press Ltd – produces and curates news stories, features, interviews and other context about and for the global co-op movement and beyond.

We are a multistakeholder co-operative, owned by our members. These members include individuals and organisations around the world, who participate in our democracy – but importantly we are editorially independent. You can find out more about our governance here.

You can meet the team here, meet our board of directors here – and if you have any questions, feel free to get in touch.

FAIRTRADE GLOBAL STRATEGY 2026 – 2028: CATALYST FOR RESILIENCE

Fairtrade International Global Strategy 2026 – 2028, is a bold and innovative plan aimed at building farmer resilience and advancing fair and sustainable trade in the coming years. 

The strategy is focused on three main goals – foster sustainable livelihoods, advance resilient and fair supply chains, and inspire a collective commitment to fair and sustainable trade – all of which are designed to advance market access, create shared value, and strengthen fairer and more resilient trade.

ALL MONTH!

DON’T FORGET TO PICK UP YOUR SEEDS!