Fair World Project merges with legal nonprofit

Portland, Ore.-based fair trade watchdog Fair World Project has been acquired by the Corporate Accountability Lab, a legal nonprofit based in Chicago and focused on environmental and human rights advocacy within commercial supply chains.

The move brings Fair World Project's fair trade advocacy work in-house and, according to a news release, will strengthen the work of both organizations to stymie exploitation in global supply chains and combat false claims made by certifications and brands.

"Fair World Project has brought credible information on corporate accountability to a broad audience throughout its history. I am a huge fan of the work Fair World Project does and am thrilled to bring this work under the Corporate Accountability Lab umbrella and to engage more with the community Fair World Project has brought together through their important work," Charity Ryerson, executive director of Corporate Accountability Lab, said in the release.

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Created in 2010 to shed light on fair trade labels and certification claims, Fair World Project advocacy is rooted in “the belief that a truly just economy must work in the interest of all people, especially those who are historically the most marginalized,” according to the release.

“After over 10 years leading Fair World Project, I have decided to move on to other projects. I am honored that Corporate Accountability Lab has agreed to steward Fair World Project into the future. They are the ideal home for Fair World Project and our mission," Dana Geffner, co-founder and executive director of Fair World Project, said in the release. "This partnership is an extension of our previous collaborations together. Corporate Accountability Lab and Fair World Project have worked together to expose sham certification schemes and corporate greenwashing and its detrimental effects in global supply chains."

Notable campaigns by the fair trade organization showcased farmer- and worker-led democratic systems, promoted alternative growing and trade models and called out what the group perceived as misleading “corporate solutions” touted by brands and certifications.

Like the Fair World Project, the Corporate Accountability Lab was founded to shed light on human rights and environmental abuses and to promote resources and legal accountability tools. Established in 2017, the legal nonprofit looks forward the Fair World Project team contributing to its larger mission to advance “a just economy for all," according to the release.

"We are excited and honored to protect and advance Fair World Project’s mission. The organization has provided actionable analysis so consumers can align their purchases with their values while holding companies and certification schemes accountable to high bar principles," Corporate Accountability Lab’s staff attorney Tatiana Devia said in the release.