Fairtrade Fortnight – Share our World

Tomorrow is the start of a 2 week campaign running from 22nd February to 7th March by the Fairtrade foundation, It is a festival called Choose the World You Want which is about raising awareness of ethics and trading across the globe. As consumers we have power and we can make a difference with what we choose to buy and support. From wine to tea and coffee, sugar, cotton, beauty products and flowers. There are over 6000 products that are certified as Fairtrade that we can choose from.

Since being founded in 1992, the Fairtrade organisation has been a recognised trademark logo on goods. Products can be tracked back to the farmers and there are guarantees on working conditions and ensuring they are paid a fair price. This makes sure that the developing world workers and famers are living sustainability, able to support themselves and develop in their local area. Representing over 1.6 million farmers worldwide acorss 73 different countries, Fairtrade is a powerful voice for these people. Buying products that carry the logo is a guarantee they were paid a sustainable fair prices at source. This isn’t to say that brands that don’t partner with fairtrade are not ethical on pricing, Fairtrade in my opinion is the standard to go by. If you are not sure then always check out a companies sustainability statement on their website or contact them directly and ask about their standards on fair pricing and working conditions.

As part of the Fairtrade fortnight’s on-line festival there are many ways to connect with the ethos of Fairtrade. There are some on-line sessions via Zoom about Fairtrade like interviews with farmers, music from fair-trade communities and some other education talks. They all sound really interesting and I would love to be able to listen to them all. There are also many offers at the moment in supermarkets like Aldi, M&S and Sainsburys that are supporting Fairtrade fortnight with in-store promotions on Fairtrade produce. You can buy your Fairtrade goodies and then go make one of the tasty recipes featured on the Fair-trade website Foodie Tent. I think I might give the Banoffee Toad in the hole recipe using Fairtrade bananas, sugar and chocolate a go this week.

They also have an opportunity for school age children aged 5-16 to take part in sending in some artwork, photo, or a poem with a vision for the world they want. I am so proud of my daughter who sent in her poster, ‘Share the world- it is a gift’ and it was selected to go on their on-line exhibition! Check it out on the exhibition hall. There is still time to enter over the next 2 weeks and details are all on the website.

Over the next two weeks I am going to be blogging about some of the Fairtrade products that can be sent as a little eco gifts.

In the words of my daughter… Share our world – It is a gift!