A Fairtrade certificate also allows transparency on farm gate prices through cooperatives. In that sense, what additional value is Trace providing?<\/strong>
Trace can be used for far more than farmgate prices. Any claim can be added to any individual transaction, along with evidence to substantiate it. This allows for more detailed insight than a more generic Fairtrade certificate can offer. They are very different things, adding different values.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe main difference in the end is that certifications set a standard for an industry for everyone to comply with in order to carry the label. Trust is created by appointing a central organisation to do enough checks on all the thousands of companies that carry their label in order to guarantee compliance of that specific standard. Trace on the other hand, doesn\u2019t set any standard, we don\u2019t even say that the products that go through our system are always what we would consider \u201cfair\u201d. We just offer value chains the tools to make the data behind their products transparent so that the end consumer can make their own judgement as to whether they think this is a fair product or not. A whole different ball game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Should Trace be seen as a stand-alone thing, which can substitute fair trade or organic certification? Or would Trace normally fit into a bundled context with \u201cTrace + fair trade certification\u201d or \u201cTrace + organic certification\u201d?<\/strong>
Certification labels have done a great job and raised a lot of awareness among consumers when it comes to social and environmental sustainability. Nevertheless, with current practices quality marks are reaching their limits. They will be the first to admit this. One problem with certification is that they only offer one standard, while every product and product chain is unique. To summarise this complex ecosystem of people, activities and processes in one binary certificate \u2013 fair, organic \u2013 is not enough. The next step lies in transparency and traceability \u2013 in connected chains and chain partners who can take their responsibility. Various certifiers, too, are looking into this. Trace is the next step. In the future, certification labels could potentially serve as a partner on the Trace platform. Fair trade or organic certifiers could act as the verifier of claims that are made within the Trace platform, be it with more transparency than current certification offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHave there been any regulatory\/policy obstacles in the implementation of this project, either in Ethiopia, the Netherlands or other, and what can governments do to support the adoption of these types of track and trace projects?<\/strong>
Regarding the first part of this question: no, we have not experienced such a thing so far. Governments, especially in the EU, seem to actually be promoting traceability and transparency initiatives. We expect that future regulation will drive more and more demand for such solutions as food brands will be inclined to know where their products come from and by whom they have been produced, as an important part of their responsible business conduct.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA replay of the full webinar is available now! <\/em>Go watch it in your own time<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n