Read our Statutes

1. Name, location and purpose

§ 1 The International Graphic Fairtrade Association (IGFA) is a non-profit association as per Art. 60ff of the Swiss Civil Code.

§ 2 The domicile and the jurisdiction are in 8400 Winterthur, Switzerland. Both the domicile and the jurisdiction can be changed by decision of the General Assembly.

§ 3 The purpose of the IGFA is to protect, defend and promote the economic interests of its members. The IGFA fulfils its task by:

  1. carrying a list of the Honourable Members of the IGFA,
  2. promoting the idea of a correct and fair business behaviour when trading goods for the graphic arts industry,
  3. gaining new members who are willing to respect the terms of a correct and fair trade as described under § 15 of these statutes.
  4. informing its members of important market events,
  5. warning its members against dubious offers and/or competitors,
  6. organizing social events in order to maintain and improve the relationship among its members,
  7. advising, mediating and/or arbitrating in case of any eventual dispute between its members in order to avoid expensive court cases,
  8. managing the club treasury

2. Association – and Fiscal year

§ 4 The Association year runs from one Annual General Meeting until the next Annual General Meeting. The Fiscal Year runs from January 1st to December 31st.

3. Membership

§ 5 The members of the IGFA may be single persons or legal entities purchasing and selling any kind of goods for the graphic arts industry.

§ 6 To be qualified as an Honourable Member of the IGFA, any candidate must obtain the approval of at least 3/4 of all existing members.

§ 7 The membership ends:

  1. by resignation as per end of the current Association year
  2. by expulsion from the IGFA by decision of the General Assembly
  3. by deletion on the list of members due to non-payment of the yearly contribution
  4. by discontinuation of business
  5. by death

§ 8 Members that are to be expulsed from the IGFA must be informed 30 days prior to the next General Meeting. They are allowed to appeal against this decision to the General Assembly. The decision of the General Assembly will be final and no further recourse is possible.

§ 9 The end of the membership automatically represents the end of all liabilities, obligations and/or legal claims towards the IGFA.

§ 10 For all obligations of the IGFA, the association’s assets are liable only. The members are liable only to the amount of their current annual fee.

4. Organs of the Association

§ 11 The organs of the Association are:

  1. the General Assembly
  2. the Executive Board
  3. the Control Authority
  4. the Honourable Members

§ 12 The General Assembly

  1. The General Assembly is the highest organ of the Association. It is held once a year before June 30th.
  2. Any extraordinary General Meeting can be convened if found necessary by the Management or if requested by 5 (five) authorized and registered members.
  3. The invitations to the General Meetings are to be sent out at least 30 days before the General Meeting is held.
  4. The General Assembly has to perform the following operations:
    1. the election of the teller
    2. the acceptance of the minutes of the last General Meeting
    3. the acceptance of the report of the President
    4. the acceptance of the cash report and the budget
    5. the acceptance of the report of the Control Authority
    6. the granting of décharge to the Management
    7. the acceptance of new members
    8. the decision of expulsion of existing members
    9. the election of the members of the Management
    10. the election of the Control Authority
    11. the determination of the members’ yearly contributions
    12. the decision on received applications and recourses
    13. any modifications of the statutes
  5. The elections and votations are held in an open form.
  6. All decisions are taken by the majority of the received votes.
  7. In a tie, the President casts the deciding vote.
  8. Elections and votations by correspondance are allowed. These must reach the Management at least 10 (ten) days prior to the General Meeting.
  9. Individual applications and/or recourses must be presented to the Management in writing at least 10 (days) days prior to the General Meeting

§ 13 The Executive Board

The Executive Board of the Association consists of 3 (three) to 5 (five) members:

  1. The President presides over the General Meetings, the meetings of the Executive Board and he controls the activities of the Association.
  2. The Secretary takes the minutes of the General Meetings and the Meetings of the Executive Board and handles the correspondence of the Association.
  3. The Treasurer manages the cash and the assets of the Association. He presents the annual budget to the General Assembly.
  4. The PR-Director leads the list of the Authorized and Registered Members of the IGFA. He publishes this list as well as the purposes and goals of the IGFA in trade magazines and on recognized Internet platforms.
  5. The Assessor is a Deputy of the other members of the Executive Board. He does special assignments at the behest and on behalf of the Executive Board.

§ 14 The Control Authority

The Control Authority consists of 2(two) Honourable Members of the IGFA. It supervises and reviews the minutes and the accounts of the Association and reports to the General Assembly.

§ 15 The Honourable Members

The Honourable Members of the IGFA are distinguished by:

  1. their fair and correct behaviour towards all suppliers, customers and service companies,
  2. their fair and correct handling of all their operations,
  3. their true and preferential information of the other members of the IGFA on possible businesses, future options as well as any important events that could promote or harm the other members of the IGFA,
  4. their mutual respect and the absence of direct competition with other members of the IGFA,
  5. their willingness to help and assist the other members of the IGFA in handling single operations.
  6. their willingness to share profits and risks with other members of the IGFA in joint activities.

5. The Statutes

§ 16 Modifications of the Statutes can be decided by the General Assembly only.

By joining the International Graphic Fairtrade Association IGFA, every Honourable Member accepts the present Statutes and promisses to respect them and behave and act accordingly.

6. Dissolution of the Association

§ 17 The dissolution of the IGFA is not possible as long as there are 10 (ten) or more Honourable Members left. When this condition is not fulfilled anymore, the General Assembly will decide on the dissolution and the use of the remaining assets.

7. Final provision

These Statutes come in force with the acceptance thereof by the General Assembly at the foundation meeting held in Düsseldorf/Germany on May 6th, 2012.