Good News in Fair Trade

This is a big THANK YOU to all of you who faithfully buy FairTrade products week after week. You really are making a difference, helping families pay for education, healthcare and many other improvements. At least 5 million people in 58 countries currently benefit from FairTrade, and the UK market is one of the largest (around £300 million pounds a year) and fastest growing, (about 50% annually) in the world. And that’s down to people like us.

Although these numbers are a small fraction of overall total food sales, some sectors and companies have been radically changed already (e.g. coffee and bananas, the Co-op), and inroads are being made into new areas such as cotton for clothes in some High Street retail chains.

There is, as always, plenty more to be done! Here’s 3 ideas if you’ve a taste for a bit more:

 
1. Try to target your buying on products from dedicated Fair Trade companies.

The advice used to be to buy FairTrade from supermarkets as much as possible to establish the market- this market has now been well & truly established. Companies such as Traidcraft, Cafédirect, Clipper and Divine work on raising up new products and suppliers, so by spending with them, you are investing into FairTrade’s expansion. Most supermarkets only buy from large established FairTrade suppliers, whereas Traidcraft, for example, help establish and trade with small groups. The FairTrade organic cotton in M&S came from a small Traidcraft start-up. FairTrade companies also lobby for change in the ways all companies work

2. Look out for new product ranges

These are appearing all the time, such as Traidcraft branded greetings cards from M&S, and clothes made from FairTrade cotton in M&S, Next and Debenhams. These are new markets requiring support, although sadly the workers who sew these clothes do not yet benefit from FairTrade conditions. The exception is a range in Top Shop made by People Tree, which is completely ‘sweat free’.

 
3. Ask for FT products at your office, canteen etc. - spread the word further!

Hopefully you have enjoyed reading this - be encouraged that although the mountain we climb seems enormous, we have already climbed higher than anyone predicted.

For more information, try www.fairtrade.org.uk and www.traidcraft.co.uk