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Fairtrade Foundation on BBC PanoramaMonday 23 June 2008
The Fairtrade Foundation welcomes the BBC Panorama investigation into exploitation of children and other workers in the low-cost clothing industry. The issues raised by the programme are very serious, and ensuring that those working in international supply chains are treated fairly and paid properly is at the heart of the vision of the Fairtrade Foundation. Whilst our own current involvement in this industry focuses on those at the very end of the chain – the farmers who grow the cotton – we do also require complete transparency of supply chains on goods made with Fairtrade certified cotton. In this way, our work also seeks to reinforce programmes working to improve labour conditions at the garment manufacture stage. Fairtrade certified cotton is sourced from smallholder cooperatives in countries such as India, Mali, Senegal and Cameroon that are independently certified by our international body, Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO). The FAIRTRADE Mark is an independent product certification label which guarantees that disadvantaged cotton farmers in the developing world at the very bottom of the supply chain, are getting a better deal - recognizing that they are at the sharp end of exploitation and injustice in international trade. Fairtrade works to ensure these farmers are receiving a fair and stable Fairtrade price and Fairtrade premium, receiving pre-financing where requested and benefiting from long-term, direct trading relationships. Fairtrade minimum prices are set at the farm gate level and based on costs of sustainable production. If the local market price is higher than the minimum price, then the market price applies. An additional payment of a Fairtrade premium is paid to farmers’ organisations to spend on social and environmental projects or in strengthening their businesses. This additional money provides communities with more power and resources to invest in long-term improvements. Elected farmer committees decide democratically how premiums are spent. Due to the length, complexity and known concerns about exploitative working conditions in garment/ textile supply chains all the registered traders of Fairtrade certified cotton are also required to demonstrate efforts to comply with recognized international labour standards as defined by the ILO conventions to improve working conditions – from ginner to spinner, knitter, weaver, dyer, garment factory, and including any subcontractors. We recognize that there are many more disadvantaged people in cotton supply chains who could benefit from Fairtrade certification. That is why we are currently exploring whether and how we can develop a standard which would extend the benefits of Fairtrade further along the supply chain to those involved in cotton garment and textile manufacturing. This process is underway but is complex and requires much time and resources. In the meantime, there is an urgent need to tackle the injustices affecting cotton farmers and to improve their economic position. In the meantime, we commend those companies who apply fair trade principles across their whole business, such as People Tree, Gossypium, Bishopston Trading, Traidcraft, Hug and others. These organisations’ lead the way in the industry by building up long term relationships with their suppliers, providing fair prices, stable contracts and longer lead times to ensure that workers are well treated, better paid and are able to invest in a better future for their children. It is time for such principles and practices to be adopted as the norm by companies on the high street so we see an end to scenes of exploitation in fields and factories across the developing world. Companies should stop talking about their codes of practice and start actually practicing better, fairer trade. For more information on the ETI visit http://www.ethicaltrade.org/
Fairtrade Foundation welcomes PricewaterhouseCoopers Sustainability Report17 June 2008
The PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) findings chime with the Fairtrade Foundation’s own research and with the growing body of evidence that the public want to do the right thing by supporting their fellow citizens in developing countries and protecting the environment. Consumers unfailingly say that they would buy more Fairtrade and sustainable goods if only companies would make them more widely available.
The PWC report predicts that sustainability is an issue which will change the world and warns that retail and consumer goods companies need to prepare now.
“Those organisations moving first and fastest, are building sustainable solutions that create value. These leaders are starting to change the rules of the game. The risks of being left behind are becoming too great to ignore,” says the report.
The Fairtrade Foundation believes that the big consumer goods companies who are failing to engage with their consumers on Fairtrade and sustainability more generally may be suffering from old fashioned and blinkered attitudes. And if they don’t get their act together, they will be outpaced, because the smart money will be on those companies who are ahead of the game in offering the public the Fairtrade and environmentally friendly goods they want now.
“Why wouldn’t any company want to do its part?” says Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation. “It’s good for poor farmers and workers, their consumers are crying out for Fairtrade products, and so it will be good for the company too.” For more details click here (Opens link in a new window) Love London
Love London is London’s greenest annual festival, celebrating projects and organisations that are making a real contribution to creating a more sustainable capital. The Love London festival has been confirmed for a sixth year in 2008. The festival will take place between the 1st and the 21st June. Love London provides London’s residents, workers and visitors, of all ages, backgrounds and interests, the opportunity to explore and contribute to hundreds of events, showcasing sustainable projects from major campaigns to locally based events run by residents for residents. There will be Fairtrade events taking place across London. Check the website for more details and to register events. http://lovelondon.london21.org/page/64
Fairtrade Schools ConferencePupils and teachers from schools across the UK will share ideas with Ghanaian school children at a series of Fairtrade Schools conferences this summer. The London conference will be held on the 18th June, and is an opportunity for schools to share ideas and experiences of achieving and working towards Fairtrade status. During the conference there will be workshops and activities aimed at helping schools understand how to achieve Fairtrade school status and developing the Fairtrade Schools scheme. The highlight of the conferences will be a workshop run by two children from the Kuapa Kokoo cocoa cooperative in Ghana. Kuapa Kokoo is a Fairtrade co-operative of cocoa farmers that co-owns the UK chocolate company, Divine Chocolate. The children, Stephen Amankwah and Joycelyn Sedbedzi, both 14 years old, attend a school in Ghana that was set up using Fairtrade premiums. Their workshop will introduce attendees to cocoa pods and the way that cocoa is grown and harvested and explain how the Fairtrade system works for cocoa farmers in Ghana. Their visit is being arranged by educational charity Trading Visions. Jocelyn said: “I’m looking forwards to coming to the UK. I think the schools will be very different. We don’t have a playground, or many books and materials. Fairtrade is a good thing for cocoa farmers. When you sell the cocoa you get a bonus, and Fairtrade helps with materials and other things like sending your children to school.”
Other workshops will provide the chance for schools to share tips on the best ways to set up a steering group, run a Fairtrade event, source Fairtrade products and incorporate Fairtrade into different subject areas on the curriculum.
The Fairtrade Schools scheme is a national initiative established by the Fairtrade Foundation to engage young people in development issues and help tackle global poverty through trade. Set up in 2007, the campaign was launched in response to demands from a number of schools across the UK and is funded by the Department for International Development, DFID. Using the Fairtrade Foundation’s established model of Fairtrade Towns and working with local campaign organisations including People & Planet, SCIAF, CAFOD and Development Education Centres, the unified scheme for UK primary and secondary schools was created.
To achieve status, schools have to meet five criteria, including setting up a Fairtrade School Steering Group, made up of both teachers and pupils, and committing to use Fairtrade products within the school. They also have to write and adopt a school Fairtrade Policy, incorporate Fairtrade into lessons and promote Fairtrade both within the school and to their wider community. Schools have to renew their Fairtrade status regularly to prove their ongoing commitment.
Lynette Aiken, Fairtrade Schools Coordinator for The Fairtrade Foundation said: “We’ve had a fantastic response to the Fairtrade Schools initiative in the first year of the scheme, with more than 6 Fairtrade primary and secondary schools already established across the UK and 1,600 more schools registered as working towards Fairtrade status. “These conferences will provide the opportunity for schools who have already achieved status to share their learning, and be inspired by the reality of Fairtrade in Ghana.”
A Fairtrade Schools website (www.fairtrade.org.uk/schools) provides information for pupils and teachers about the initiative. The site provides a downloadable Action Guide to help schools work their way towards achieving Fairtrade status and gives contact information for local organisations and dedicated regional advisors who can support the application process. It also offers a range of practical ideas and resources to help incorporate Fairtrade into lessons and school life, as well as promote it to the wider local community.
The FAIRTRADE Mark is the only independent consumer label that ensures farmers in developing countries receive an agreed and stable price for the crops they grow, as well as a Fairtrade premium which can be invested in building their businesses and their communities. UK Fairtrade sales topped £493m in 2007 and currently give seven million people – farmers, workers and their families - a chance to build a better future and to compete in the global market place.
Awareness of FAIRTRADE Mark leaps to 70% Latest research commissioned by the Fairtrade Foundation and launched to coincide with World Fair Trade Day on Saturday 10 May, shows more UK consumers than ever before – 70% of the population – recognise the FAIRTRADE Mark, up from 57% in 2007. The TNS CAPI OmniBus findings also show understanding of the concept behind the Mark has increased, with 64% of the population linking the Mark to a better deal for producers in the developing world. This means the message of Fairtrade is getting through. The research shows it is also influencing everyday purchases throughout the country, with 1 in 4 of the UK’s shoppers now regularly buying several products carrying the FAIRTRADE Mark. The trend is for more people to be buying more products more regularly. ‘This research shows that the balance of public opinion is tipping in favour of Fairtrade where Fairtrade is seen as an integral part of a sustainable global future,’ says Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation. ‘More and more UK shoppers see Fairtrade as a simple, highly effective way to enable producers in the developing world to work their way out of poverty with dignity, receiving a decent return for their great produce and hard work.’ ‘The challenge is now set for UK business to make more Fairtrade products available. There have been significant commercial developments in recent years – which have no doubt contributed to the visibility of the FAIRTRADE Mark and therefore the awareness reflected in this research – but there is a long way to go as producers in the developing world line up to be able to supply the UK Fairtrade market and UK consumers show their willingness to buy Fairtrade goods as they become available across sectors.’ The TNS CAPI OmniBus findings, which exceeded the Foundation’s own expectations, are mirrored in the recently announced uplift in estimated retail sales of Fairtrade products, which increased from £286m in 2006 to £493m in 2007, a 72% increase. The Foundation puts the huge leaps in sales and awareness of the FAIRTRADE Mark down to the vibrant grassroots social movement which underpins Fairtrade. Across the country, there are now more than 350 Fairtrade Towns, 4,000 Fairtrade Churches, 37 Fairtrade Synagogues, 60 Fairtrade Universities and a newly launched network of Fairtrade Schools, all campaigning to support and promote Fairtrade in their local area. This community level campaigning alongside the public education of the Fairtrade companies, such as new nut company Liberation, means the FAIRTRADE Mark is unique in the way it is backed by the public. This support, coupled with the uptake of Fairtrade by the big and mainstream companies, has made the FAIRTRADE Mark very well known. ‘On World Fair Trade Day,’ continues Harriet, ‘we are calling on consumers, companies and politicians to step up the fight against global poverty through trade, and continue to tip the balance in favour of farmers from developing countries. With 2 billion working people earning less than US$2 a day and many of these producing the goods we put in our shopping baskets every day, it is critical to increase the momentum for change through Fairtrade in 2008.’ The TNS CAPI OmniBus findings show the gap between people buying Fairtrade products regularly and occasionally has decreased since 2007 (16% to 24% and 15% to 14% respectively). The percentage of consumers who regularly or occasionally buy several Fairtrade products has gone up (18% to 24% and 15% to 17% respectively) and the number of consumers who say they never buy Fairtrade products has also decreased. This indicates that people are no longer buying Fairtrade products as a ‘one off’ and are moving across sectors in their purchasing. The survey also showed that recognition is highest with 35–44 year olds (76%) and fastest growing with 25–34 year olds (76%). It confirms that more women than men recognize the Mark, reflecting the main shoppers in most households. Coffee remains the most widely known Fairtrade product, followed by significant increases in awareness of Fairtrade tea, chocolate and bananas. However, recognition of the overall range of Fairtrade products has risen across most categories in 2008. Meanwhile, the figures for estimated retail sales for 2007 released earlier in the year showed Fairtrade bananas are the best selling Fairtrade product with sales topping £150m, an increase of 130% and Fairtrade coffee sales rose 24% to more than £117m. Items made with Fairtrade certified cotton increased from more than half a million to just under 9.5m units and Fairtrade tea rose 24% to just over £30m. Demand for Fairtrade products has significantly increased across all sectors in 2008. In particular, the public’s appetite for Fairtrade products in schools, colleges and universities has nearly tripled from 10% to 29%. Demand for Fairtrade products in hotels and B&Bs has risen from 11% to 23% and in workplaces has more than doubled from 9% to 21%. People also want to see more Fairtrade available in cafes, restaurants and pubs (25% to 34%) and in local shops (20% to 32%) and on the move when travelling (14% to 25%). -Ends- For further information and photos, phone 020 7440 7686/7695 or 07770 957 451 or email eileen.maybin@fairtrade.org.uk, martine.julseth@fairtrade.org.uk or faith.mall@fairtrade.org.uk For more details click here (Opens link in a new window) Fairtrade Status for London Close!The Fairtrade London Campaign is gearing up in 2008 with Fairtrade Status likely to be acheived and announced later this year! Across the Capital a wide variety of events are planned for Fairtrade Fortnight 2008 (25 Feb - 09 March), including a Fairtrade Fairground on the South Bank on Sunday the 24th February. For details of all these events see our events section. Meanwhile a Fairtrade London Campaign Volunteer is currently being recruited and when in place will work to completely revamp this website, so watch this space! If you are interested in becoming that volunteer you can download the application form here: http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/about_jobs.htm
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