Solidaridad

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.[1] It operates through nine regional expertise centers in over 50 countries.[2] Solidaridad seeks to transform production practices to promote fair and profitable livelihoods and business opportunities, decent working conditions and a fair living wage. Solidaridad without depleting the landscapes where people live and thrive.[3]

History

The organization was founded in 1969.[4]

In 1988, Solidaridad founded the Max Havelaar coffee label, considered the starting point for the Fairtrade movement. Having introduced Fairtrade coffee, Solidaridad went on to develop a similar scheme for bananas in 1996.[5]

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, livestock, soy, cocoa, cotton, livestock, dairy, tea, textiles, sugarcane, fruit & vegetables, gold, textiles, palm oil, and aquaculture.[6]

In 2016, Solidaridad launched a five year strategic plan focussed on four thematic areas- robust infrastructure, good practices, sustainable landscapes and enabling policy environments.[7]

In 2018, Solidaridad won the Arrell Global Food Innovation Award [8]

Tea

Tea may be one of the most widely enjoyed beverages in the world, but its production is anything but sustainable for the smallholder farmers, women, and land that involved in the production and processing of this popular beverage. Solidaridad has been working on making tea industry more competitive for last 1.5 decades across all tea producing countries. It has been able to improve the livelihoods of farmers through raising awareness on the benefits of collectivisation and encouraging them to form self-help groups. Solidaridad also enhanced the understanding of tea pricing for small-scale farmers. While prevailing certification standards still have limitations, they provide an opportunity to engage with the tea industry stakeholders through national platforms and allow for discussions around more complex issues which cannot be addressed through certification alone. Solidaridad has been able to leverage these new approaches to gradually transform beyond the certification agenda. For more information on Solidaridad's tea programmes please visit: https://www.solidaridadnetwork.org/supply-chains/tea

Textiles & Cotton

In 2017, Solidaridad launched the Sustainable Cotton Ranking Index with the World Wildlife Fund and Pesticide Action Network UK. This analyzed the performance of 75 companies and their sustainable cotton uptake.[9] The report revealed that the majority of brands are not doing enough to increase their sustainable cotton use.[10]

Soy

Solidaridad is one of the founders and board members of the Round Table on Responsible Soy.[11] 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.[12]

Gold

Solidaridad assists small-scale miners to produce gold sustainably.[13] In Ghana, Solidaridad helps miners to implement mercury-free technologies.[14] 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 in East Africa.[15]

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).[16]

In 2016, Henkel and BASF launched a collaboration with Solidaridad in Indonesia to train 5,500 smallholders implement good agricultural practices. The project spans an area of roughly 16,000 hectares.[17]

Coffee

Today, Solidaridad's Founder, Nico Roozen, advocates for a "beyond certification" agenda.[18] In a 2015 Global Coffee Report, he said: "Introduction of good agricultural practices at the farm level has brought many improvements, but cannot ensure an entrepreneurial income for many smallholders."

Solidaridad advocates for certification as a valuable tool to promote sustainable and inclusive supply chains, but today acknowledges the need to go beyond-certification to truly achieve this.[19]

Aquaculture

Solidaridad operates an aquaculture program focusing on shrimp in Bangladesh, India and Myanmar. It also has organized an Aquaculture Innovation Challenge to connect bright ideas for innovation of aquaculture to knowledge, capital and networks.[20] To transform the seafood market into a sustainable direction, Solidaridad has founded Seafood Trade Intelligence Portal, a start-up which builds coalitions for investments in sustainable seafood and aquaculture supply chains.[21]