The World Fair Trade Organization (WTFO) has today unveiled a new digital sustainability platform to support partnership working between green and Fair Trade small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – including co-operatives – across the world.
Powered by the environmental solutions platform Ubuntoo, the WFTO Environmental Solutions Hub launched at the sixth United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya.
The hub will use artificial intelligence (AI) I to enable WFTO members, verified Fair Trade Enterprises, and other interested SMEs to find and connect with one another around both solutions and geography, to work together and share knowledge.
Ubuntoo’s AI engine uses a combination of large language models and an expert-curated database of solutions and intelligence, developed over more than five years, with the aim of providing organisations and institutions with the information they need to reduce their environmental impact at a fraction of the cost of a traditional consultancy.
“The WFTO Member Hub has created a vital space for collaboration and knowledge sharing for the Fair Trade Enterprises,” said Leida Rijnhout, CEO of the World Fair Trade Organization. “The platform goes beyond the networking only, but also provides very concrete answers on practical questions.”
Rijnhout described providing members with this informations as a “monumental task”, adding:
“By harnessing the power of Ubuntoo, our members can trust in the tailored information and solutions that are instantly presented after each search in their own language, helping to streamline the change many are working towards.”
WFTO operates in 76 countries across 5 regions to verify and convene SMEs enterprises that practice the 10 Fair Trade Principles.
WFTO Environmental Solutions Hub is open for both members of sustainable development organisation SEED and the Green Economy Coalition, who also advocate for sustainable development and strengthening SMEs.
Ubuntoo co-founder, Peter Schelstrate, said: “It is an honour for Ubuntoo to work alongside the World Fair Trade Organization, SEED and the Green Economy Coalition to support so many small and medium-sized businesses around the globe, showing that sustainable and fair economies are possible and profitable.
“By creating this digital space, we are seeking to enhance networking and business opportunities, facilitate targeted collaborations, and strengthen the collective impact of WFTO, SEED and GEC members worldwide.”
