Claro Fair Trade

Claro fair trade, commonly styled in lowercase as claro, is a Swiss sustainability-oriented retail and importing organization based in Orpund in the Biel/Bienne administrative district of the Canton of Bern. Its roots lie in the Swiss solidarity and development movement of the 1970s, when organizations and consumers increasingly sought alternatives to conventional trade and to charitable models that did not give producers a stronger role in economic relationships. The organization was initiated in 1977 by Erklärung von Bern, a Swiss development and solidarity organization. Claro emerged from a wider movement that used products such as coffee, bananas and jute to make international economic relationships visible to consumers. A joint Swiss import center, OS3, became an early pioneer in importing food and handicrafts from small producer groups and economically marginalized regions. Alongside OS3, Erklärung von Bern initiated Suisse Tiers Monde in 1977. The resulting initiatives developed into early claro fair-trade labels and commercial activities, including cooperation with jute producers in Bangladesh. Over time, the product range expanded beyond jute and other handicrafts. It came to include cane sugar from the Philippines, coffee from Tanzania, tea from Sri Lanka and agricultural products from other countries in the Global South. The organization also developed a relationship with the Bolivian cooperative El Ceibo, cited in connection with its activities around 1985. Claro products are sold through claro shops and associated Weltladen shops in Switzerland, linking importing, retail distribution and consumer education. The company’s stated orientation is to improve continuously the social, economic and environmental conditions of producer partners. Its approach emphasizes reducing unnecessary intermediaries, building direct relationships with local partners and supporting social projects. Where possible, products are certified by the Max Havelaar Foundation. This places claro within the Swiss fair-trade and ethical-consumption ecosystem rather than the mainstream department-store sector. In 1997, the claro fair trade cooperative was converted into an Aktiengesellschaft under Swiss law. The organization has also been associated with sustainable-finance initiatives, including financial support from Alternative Bank Schweiz. A decline in turnover in the years discussed by the reference material was attributed mainly to reduced exports outside Switzerland, underscoring the company’s concentration on the Swiss market. In 2014, claro stated that its import activities supported more than 260 small producer groups and craft workshops, with reported benefits for the living conditions of more than 100,000 people in the Southern Hemisphere. These figures are historical and are not treated here as current operating metrics.

Claro fair trade developed from Switzerland’s solidarity and development movement during the 1970s. At the time, Swiss consumer campaigns increasingly used everyday commodities to draw attention to the economic and social conditions behind international trade. Coffee, bananas and jute became prominent examples because they connected consumption in Switzerland with producers and workers in countries commonly described at the time as part of the developing world. The movement sought to go beyond conventional charity. Supporters wanted consumers to participate in economic relationships that gave small producers better access to markets and improved the conditions under which goods were produced and traded. This environment contributed to the creation of OS3, a joint Swiss import center that specialized in food and handicrafts from small producer groups and economically marginalized regions. OS3 became an important early institution in Swiss fair trade. Erklärung von Bern, known as EvB, also played a formative role. In 1977 it initiated Suisse Tiers Monde, an organization associated with the first two claro fair-trade labels. Early activity included cooperation with Corr, a jute works in Bangladesh. The model combined commercial importing with a social and political objective: establishing more equitable relationships with producer partners while enabling Swiss consumers to purchase goods connected to development concerns. Claro’s assortment expanded progressively. Examples mentioned in historical accounts include cane sugar from the Philippines, coffee from Tanzania, tea from Sri Lanka and other agricultural products from the Global South. The organization also worked with the Bolivian cooperative El Ceibo, cited in connection with its activities around 1985. Food and craft products were distributed through claro shops and related Weltladen shops, creating a specialist retail network in Switzerland. The organization’s operating philosophy has centered on the continuous improvement of producers’ social, economic and environmental circumstances. Its methods include limiting the number of intermediaries where practicable, cooperating directly with local partners and contributing to social projects. Products may also carry certification from the Max Havelaar Foundation when the relevant standards and certification arrangements apply. A significant legal change occurred in 1997, when the claro fair trade cooperative was converted into an Aktiengesellschaft under Swiss law. The organization continued to operate as a sustainability-oriented importer and retailer, and it was linked to broader ethical-finance initiatives, including support associated with Alternative Bank Schweiz. The historical material indicates that claro experienced declining turnover in the fiscal years discussed, with reduced exports outside Switzerland identified as a principal cause. Its main retail and distribution presence remained domestic, especially through claro and associated Weltladen shops. In 2014, claro reported relationships with more than 260 small producer groups and craft workshops and claimed that its importing activities contributed to improved living conditions for more than 100,000 people in the Southern Hemisphere. Those statements describe the organization’s historical reach and are not presented as current figures without newer evidence.

• 2014

  Historical producer-network figure reported

  [1]Claro fair tradeen.wikipedia.org

  Claro stated that its import activities supported more than 260 small producer groups and craft workshops and benefited more than 100,000 people in the Southern Hemisphere.

• 1997

  Conversion into an Aktiengesellschaft

  [1]Claro fair tradeen.wikipedia.org

  The claro fair trade cooperative was converted into a Swiss Aktiengesellschaft.

• 1985

  Cooperation with El Ceibo cited

  [1]Claro fair tradeen.wikipedia.org

  Historical accounts connect claro’s expanding agricultural and fair-trade activities with the Bolivian cooperative El Ceibo.

• 1977

  Claro initiative established

  [1]Claro fair tradeen.wikipedia.org

  Erklärung von Bern initiated the organization that developed into claro fair trade, amid the expansion of Switzerland’s solidarity and fair-trade movement.

• 1977

  Suisse Tiers Monde launched

  [1]Claro fair tradeen.wikipedia.org

  Erklärung von Bern initiated Suisse Tiers Monde, associated with the first claro fair-trade labels and early cooperation with a Bangladeshi jute producer.

Swiss fair-trade retail and importing focused on direct producer relationships, social and environmental responsibility, sustainable consumption and support for small producer groups.

• Food

  Fair-trade food

  Claro’s food assortment developed around goods sourced through fair-trade relationships with producer groups in the Global South. Historical examples include coffee, tea, cane sugar and other agricultural products. The range is positioned not only as a consumer offering but also as a way to connect Swiss purchasing with producer livelihoods and alternative trade structures.

• Beverages

  Coffee

  Coffee is one of the emblematic commodities associated with Switzerland’s fair-trade movement and forms part of the agricultural products historically handled by claro. The organization’s historical material specifically mentions coffee from Tanzania, reflecting its focus on producer-oriented sourcing and direct or reduced-intermediary trade relationships.

• Beverages

  Tea

  Tea from Sri Lanka is identified among the products incorporated into claro’s range as its activities expanded. It represents the organization’s broader practice of importing food and agricultural goods from Southern Hemisphere producer partners for distribution through Swiss specialist fair-trade channels.

• Food

  Sugar

  Cane sugar from the Philippines is one of the historically documented products in claro’s assortment. Its inclusion illustrates the organization’s effort to apply fair-trade principles to everyday agricultural commodities while creating market access for producer communities.

• Handicrafts

  Handicrafts and jute goods

  Handicrafts were central to claro’s early trading model, including jute products made through cooperation with a Bangladeshi jute works. The category connects retail sales with support for small workshops and craft producers and remains part of the organization’s historically documented fair-trade scope.

• 1997

  Corporate-form conversionStrategy

  Background

  The organization had operated as a fair-trade cooperative within Switzerland’s solidarity and alternative-trade movement.

  Action taken

  The claro fair trade cooperative was converted into an Aktiengesellschaft under Swiss law.

  Aftermath

  Claro continued as a sustainability-oriented importer and retailer serving claro and associated Weltladen shops.

  Source

1. 1Claro fair tradeen.wikipedia.org