A system that recognises businesses for their commitment to fair trade is being developed.

While the present Fairtrade label is for individual product lines, the Sustainable Fair Trade Management System would allow organisations to evaluate and publish details of their performance against fair trade criteria.

The World Fair Trade Organisation is developing the system and is consulting with certification body FLO, the Fairtrade Foundation and other organisations. If members agree on the proposals it could lead to a certification system and logo.

But it was premature to suggest a new logo could soon appear on packs, said Chris Davis, director of producer partnerships at the Fairtrade Foundation.

"The public trust the Fairtrade mark. We don't want to see a proliferation of marks," he added.