Fairtrade Towns

If you are interested in turning your local community into a Fairtrade Town, why not visit the Yahoo Fairtrade Town Group, which is a discussion forum for groups and individuals who are campaigning to turn their local community into a Fairtrade Village, Town, City or Island, following the goals which are set by the Fairtrade Foundation.

As well as using the Fairtrade Foundation’s website, this is a great resource as it is used by experienced Fairtrade Town activists. It offers practical advice, ideas and draws on people’s personal experiences and what has and hasn’t worked for them.

 

Recommended Fairtrade Book

Sometimes when you want to read up on a subject it’s hard to know where to start. 

I’m currently reading (as and when I get time!) ”Fighting the Banana Wars and other Fairtrade Battles” by Harriet Lamb, who is the Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation.  So far, this has left me feeling very optimistic and postive about the changes that can be made if we put the effort in.

As well as talking about her personal experiences, the book also includes a chapter with a ten step guide to Fairtrade and a chapter about the history of Fairtrade.

Although it’s full of facts and figures, it’s done in a very natural way (by this I mean, it all fits together nicely - not as though its been added because it has to be) and I’ve found it very easy to follow.

Salay – Spotlight on our Producers

With so much focus currently on recycling and how much we waste in the Western world, it seems appropriate for me to pop the spotlight on one of the producer groups who are a great example of what can be recycled.

SALAY (Salay Handmade Paper Industries Inc (SHAPII)) are located in the Philippines. The business started in 1987 as a small family business. According to their website, they now employ over 200 people and make handmade paper, cards and stationery items.

The employment that Salay has created has provided the small town with stability. The production areas are light, airy and spacious. Their workers have benefits, which include free medical consultation, dental health and eyeglasses. and they participate in decision-making, with the option of becoming shareholders.

The paper is made with cogon grass (which grows throughout the village), abaca fibre, pineapple leaves, sawdust, salago bark and other materials native to their area.

SALAY shows that with effort it is possible to use materials that people wouldn’t usually look twice at and turn them into something quite beautiful.

If you’d like to find out more about the SALAY story (rather than my abbreviated breakdown which really doesn’t do them justice) visit their website.

You can view the SALAY cards we stock here.

Fairly Traded Jute – A Correction

Earlier this year, we were lucky enough to have had press coverage regarding our jute and cotton bags.

We would just like to point out there are currently no Fairtrade standards for jute and therefore no Fairtrade certified jute available on the market. Fairly traded jute products do exist however (produced in ethical working conditions) but these do not come under the Fairtrade system and they therefore cannot carry the FAIRTRADE Mark.

There are, however, products available that are made from Fairtrade certified cotton and which carry the FAIRTRADE Mark. It was not our intention to mislead anyone.

Click here to view our fairly traded jute and cotton bags.

Only Fair in the Local Press

As a Norfolk based business, I’m really pleased that we’ve had a piece feature in Let’s Talk, which is an East Anglian magazine described as “the best magazine for Norfolk and Suffolk”. 

You can read it here.

World Fair Trade Day

10th May 2008 is World Fair Trade Day.

WFTD started as a European movement of over 2,000 fair trade shops, working together through NEWS! The founder of People Tree initiated WFTD which was adopted by the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT) and its members in 2001 to promote global awareness of fair trade. IFAT is the global association of fair trade organisations, made up of 300 organisations from 70 countries around the world.

WFTD is celebrated every second Saturday of May and it is aimed at encouraging people to celebrate fair trade organisations, to buy more fair trade goods through fair trade retailers and to encourage more companies to sell fair trade products.

This year’s theme is Fair Trade and Ecology and they state:

“Fair Trade is a force for protecting the environment while promoting sustainable development. Fair Trade favours the sustainable use of natural resources and production methods that are not capital and oil intensive, favouring hand production and organic agriculture – to reduce the carbon footprint. Because Fair Trade is committed to paying a living wage and works in long-term partnerships, it enables producer partners to invest in environmentally friendly production. In turn, these initiatives promote environmental awareness locally and internationally.”

You can find out more by visiting the WFTD website.