Partners

GiFFT leverages partnerships and strategic alliances to help advance the global fair trade movement. One of GiFFT's "core competencies" is developing coalitions and collaborative relationships.

HUMANITARIAN INTERNATIONAL SERVICES GROUP: GiFFT maintains a strategic alliance with Humanitarian International Services Group (see www.HISG.org). Through HISG's on-the-ground networks in over 60 countries and expertise in community development, GiFFT gains access to networks of indigenous professionals that support GiFFT's fair trade services - around the globe.

CERTSYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL: GiFFT also maintains a strategic alliance with CertSystems International. CertSystems provides GiFFT with third-party fair trade inspection and certification services. CertSystems' inspections objectively quantify to what extent GiFFT-licensed products are conforming to GiFFT's fair trade standards. In the case of minor gaps in conformance, CertSystems prescribes "progress goals" that GiFFT enforces to help its clients to systematically close these gaps.

ORGANIC CERTIFIERS: GiFFT is actively seeking alliances with organic certifiers in light of the fact that the fair trade and organic industries are converging. For example, approximately 70% of all fair trade products around the world are also certified as "organic."

COALITION-BASED PROJECTS: GiFFT is working to develop coalitions of major retail chains, manufacturers, producers, NGOs, and governmental and international agencies to expand the fair trade movement in targeted countries and around the world.

GiFFT is innovative and flexible in the cause of fair trade. A primary means to this end is vigorous collaboration and "working together" with others for the common cause.