The Fairtrade Foundation is an independent charity which awards the stamp of approval – the Fairtrade Mark- to products that meet international standards.
The Fairtrade Foundation’s aim is to tackle poverty by enabling disadvantaged producers from poor countries to receive a better deal through encouraging the support of the Fairtrade Mark.
The standards which must be met by producer organisations and purchasing companies mean that people can choose products with the Fairtrade Mark knowing that marginalised producers in developing countries are getting a better deal than before.
Fairtrade means commerce by which all participants benefit. The seller must receive a price which is sufficient to live on, to send her or his children to school and to buy medicines. The price is normally held steady for some years. The buyer must be able to make a reasonable profit.
‘Fairtrade’ is recognised by independent certification from the Fairtrade Foundation in Britain and the Fair Labelling Organisation internationally. A product so certified bears a ‘Fairtrade Mark’. Unless this is visible, a product cannot claim to be legitimately ‘Fairtrade’, written as a single word, with the above certification. The Fairtrade Foundation began an initiative whereby communities could be certified Fairtrade Villages, Towns etc if certain proportions of the numbers of retailers and caterers regularly sold two or more Fairtrade items, and various other conditions were met.
By 2008, there were 3000 Fairtrade products and a turnover of £400 million per year; most were food or drink items from less industrialised lands, but there were also, for example, Fairtrade footballs from Pakistan. Coffee, tea and chocolate bars of various sorts were the most widely sold products. But cold drinks such as wine and fruit juices, and fruits, particularly bananas were also commonly available. For over 20 years Fairtrade goods have been sold in churches and a handful of Fairtrade shops. Particularly since 2000, however the Coop has led the way in stocking more and more Fairtrade items. Tesco, Morrison, Sainsbury and Waitrose have significant Fairtrade lines.
Fairtrade has existed in Bradford for over 20 years.
David and Mollie Somerville have sold the products on a not-for-profit basis from their house in Heaton; they now have a turnover of more than £8000 a year. Many churches have run Traidcraft stalls for a similar length of time: Traidcraft is a part of the Fairtrade movement.
John D Anderson
For further information about how to become a fair trade town take a look at the Fairtrade website
