Max Havelaar is a nonprofit association whom name refers to the hero from a Dutch novel denouncing the trade conditions imposed to Indonesians farmers. The association doesn't buy or sell any fair products: this is independent organizations which manage the Fair Trade label, existing in 58 producers’ countries and 21 consumer countries.
Products having the Max Havelaar label are derived from Fair Trade, in other words, they have been produced and sold according to international standards of Fair Trade. About one million and a half producers and workers beneficiate of fair trade labeled Fair Trade/Max Havelaar. Counting their family, we estimate that it is representing around 8 million of people in 59 countries of Africa, Asia and South America. They are united in 746 organizations.
More than 80 million of families in the world consume Fairtrade / Max Havelaar labeled. In average,, they purchase 4 fair products per year and spend 15.9€ in the year (Kantar, January 2010). Most of the consumers are wealthy urban, old enough and without child, and sensible to ethical and environmental issues. However, fair trade extends more and more too all categories of population, specifically those earning modest incomes (Kantar, January 2010).
Some anti-globalization as Christian Jacquiau also criticize the fact that Max Havelaar having appropriated the term "label", arguing that a label must have an approval from the Ministry of Agriculture. They oppose to the demarche of Max Havelaar to those of other actors as world Artisans or Minga, which don't supply supermarkets or multinationals. Moreover, Max Havelaar has only 50 inspectors to watch the work conditions of a million employees working for cooperatives which supply it, indicating a low control. This book was itself criticized, reproaching it many factual error and inconsistencies.
Max Havelaar France represents the label at an international level and ensures the promotion of fair trade. It is linked to the international network FLO (Fairtrade Labelling Organization), which gather equivalent initiatives in 20 countries in Europe, North America and Japan. The FLO federation defines the standards for each product and supports producers’ organizations.
The certification and the control of labeled channels FLO-Max Havelaar are ensured by an independent society, Flo-Cert. All products from The Jute Shop are certified Flo-Cert.