The Solidaridad Network is an international civil society organisation founded in 1969. Its main objective is facilitating the development of socially responsible, ecologically sound and profitable supply chains. It operates through eight regional expertise centers in over 50 countries.

History

The organization was founded in 1969. In 1988, Solidaridad founded the

Max Havelaar ''Max Havelaar; or, The Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company'' ( nl, Max Havelaar; of, De koffi-veilingen der Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappy) is an 1860 novel by Multatuli (the pen name of Eduard Douwes Dekker), which played a key rol ...

coffee label, considered the starting point for the

Fairtrade A fair trade certification is a product certification within the market-based movement fair trade. The most widely used fair trade certification is FLO International's, the International Fairtrade Certification Mark, used in Europe, Africa, As ...

movement. Having introduced Fairtrade coffee, Solidaridad went on to develop a similar scheme for bananas in 1996. In the 1990s, Solidaridad broadened its scope toward working with companies in corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes and certification. Moving forward, the organization focused further on working with producers in international supply chains by supporting round tables for commodities such as

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

, livestock, soy, cocoa,

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animal ...

, dairy,

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

, textiles, sugarcane,

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

vegetables Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems ...

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

, textiles, palm oil, and aquaculture. In 2016, Solidaridad launched a five-year strategic plan focussed on four thematic areas- robust infrastructure, good practices, sustainable landscapes and enabling policy environments. In 2018, Solidaridad won the Arrell Global Food Innovation Award.

Initiatives

Textiles & Cotton

In 2017, Solidaridad launched the Sustainable Cotton Ranking Index with the

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wo ...

and

Pesticide Action Network Pesticide Action Network (PAN) is "an international coalition of around 600 NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from go ...

UK. This analyzed the performance of 75 companies and their sustainable cotton uptake. The report revealed that the majority of brands are not doing enough to increase their sustainable cotton use.

Soy

Solidaridad is one of the founders and board members of the Round Table on Responsible Soy. In 2017, Solidaridad carried out a project that led to the certification of 30,125 tons of soybeans produced by 18 small and medium-scale farmers in the region of Silvânia and Orizona, Goias. This was the first time small and medium-scale soy growers in Goias, Brazil have been able to receive certification from the Round Table on Responsible Soy.

Gold

Solidaridad assists small-scale gold mines to reduce their environmental impact. In Ghana, Solidaridad helps miners to implement mercury-free technologies. In 2016, the first mine in Africa to reach Fairtrade certification, Syanyonja Artisan Miners' Alliance in Uganda, was a partner of a Solidaridad partnership with

Fairtrade Foundation A fair trade certification is a product certification within the market-based movement fair trade. The most widely used fair trade certification is FLO International's, the International Fairtrade Certification Mark, used in Europe, Africa, Asi ...

in East Africa.

Palm Oil

Solidaridad promotes better land-use planning to meet the growing demand for palm oil. In 2014, Solidaridad launched the Sustainable West Africa Palm Oil Programme (SWAPP). In 2016, Henkel and

BASF BASF SE () is a German multinational chemical company and the largest chemical producer in the world. Its headquarters is located in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The BASF Group comprises subsidiaries and joint ventures in more than 80 countries ...

launched a collaboration with Solidaridad in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

to train 5,500 smallholders implement good agricultural practices. The project spans an area of roughly 16,000 hectares.

References

{{Reflist Organizations established in 1969