Energy company Eneco, development organisation ICCO and the Max Havelaar fair trade group have joined forces to develop a fair trade certificate for green energy.

The programme is kicking off with a pilot project in Tanzania to produce oil from seeds of the jatropha shrub for use in bio-diesel power generation. The plant is easily grown on wasteland and does not compete with food production.
‘The farmers who produce the raw materials get a fair price, the product is produced in a sustainable way and it can help meet the growing demand for bio-fuels,’ ICCO director Jack van Ham said.
The research will assess whether it is financially viable to involve small-scale farmers in bio-fuel production. ‘Theoretically we could decide to scrap the project after this study but we do not expect that to happen,’ said Eneco’s director of sustainable energy production Hugo Buis. ‘There is so much knowledge now about setting up sustainable energy chains that this is the time to get involved.’
Jatropha oil is currently used in hundreds of bio-diesel projects without a fair trade certificate.