Fairtrade's Theory of Change comes to life in an interactive format

As a leader in the global movement to make trade fair, Fairtrade changes the way trade works through better prices, decent working conditions and a fairer deal for more than 1.9 million farmers and workers. Products with the FAIRTRADE mark mean that producers and businesses have met internationally agreed standards which have been independently certified. Beyond certification, Fairtrade supports producers through programs and services, and advocates for more sustainable trade policies for all.

An integrated and interactive Theory of Change

To clearly outline the focus, results and impacts of its work and following a thorough assessment of impact, Fairtrade updated its Theory of Change (ToC). The ToC explains how Fairtrade’s interventions benefit farmers and workers. Fairtrade wanted to communicate this ToC to their stakeholders in an engaging and simple manner.

Fairtrade approached Schuttelaar & Partners to develop an integrated and interactive ToC in August 2021. We assisted Fairtrade in defining those elements critical to Fairtrade’s work and developing an interactive, user-friendly tool to communicate their ToC. We refined the key interventions, intermediate- and long-term outcomes and impacts on farmers and workers in collaboration with Fairtrade.

Practical tools and outputs

Based on these refinements, we created an interactive tool to display the ToC. In the tool, users can click anywhere in the progression from intervention to impact to see which factors contribute to each outcome, and the ultimate pathway to change. For each Fairtrade intervention, users can click a button to delve into the relevant tools and outputs. Tools include climate academies, women’s leadership schools, trainings on organizational management, and practical case studies which help stakeholders understand how Fairtrade works toward its ultimate goals.

The interactive ToC was launched in October 2022, and we are happy to have supported Fairtrade in communicating their vision for a fairer future.

Click here to see the interactive ToC

Words from our client:

“From the get-go, your approach, way of working and the dynamic thinking made this digital piece come alive. It’s a rare experience to find digital developers with such content-based expertise under one roof.”

Harveen Kour - Head, Information & Knowledge at Fairtrade International