Be the Change. Choose Fairtrade
Thousands of individuals across Britain are gearing up to take part in Fairtrade Fortnight -from 9th – 22nd September 2024 – the Fairtrade Foundation’s annual campaign to raise awareness of the critical need for fair prices for farmers and workers overseas.
The campaign, supported by Fairtrade’s celebrity patrons and ambassadors, highlights the stark reality that many non-Fairtrade farmers are facing, with households continuing to earn below the poverty line.
Entitled Be the Change. Choose Fairtrade, the campaign has moved to September for the very first time, as the organisation marks 30 years since Fairtrade products first hit shelves in the UK. It will emphasise how the cumulative effect of our shopping choices have contributed to change, allowing farmers and agricultural workers overseas to create a better future, but more is urgently needed.
Fairtrade’s movement comprising thousands of grassroots supporters will be equipped to organise hundreds of special events in local communities committed to campaigning for social justice. For instance,
- Darly Dale: Sustainable Food, Products & Living Fair being organised by town council.
- Plymouth: Plymouth Fairtrade and Plymouth University are collaborating on an exciting event to mark 30 years of Fairtrade.
- Edinburgh: Fairtrade Exhibits are being organized in Edinburgh’s libraries throughout Fairtrade Fortnight.
- Lanark (near Glasgow): A Fairtrade Pablo the Banana storytelling event with Fairtrade snacks is being organised by junior for infant classes. (School event)
- University of Derby: The university is planning a Freshers Fair featuring Fairtrade products, and at least one giant banana split event.
Meanwhile the Fairtrade Foundation will encourage retailers to drive visibility and amplify its messaging in-store, online and out of home.
Buying Fairtrade products is helping contribute to a better tomorrow for millions of farmers.
Marie Rumsby, Fairtrade Foundation’s Communications and Advocacy Director, said: “Each time you choose Fairtrade when you shop, you are acting in solidarity with farmers who grow your food. Fairtrade means producers receive a fairer price, can afford to feed their families, send their children to school, and cover their farming costs.”
There are now around 5000 Fairtrade products available to buy in the UK, and all major retailers and many brands use Fairtrade certified ingredients.
Over three decades, 10 million people – farmers, workers and their families – have built healthier, stronger, and more resilient communities, with improved choice and better life chances through access to healthcare and education. They have responded to climate crises by investing in better farming practices.
This is a seismic shift in the way trade works, and it has been achieved thanks to public support and company commitments which generated £1.7 billion in Fairtrade Premium payments globally between 1994 and 2022.
Shoppers continue to support Fairtrade, with 2023 retail sales of Fairtrade products generating around £28 million in Fairtrade Premium payments for producers to invest in business, community and projects of their choice including healthcare, education and environmental initiatives.
UK consumers can Be The Change by choosing to buy more Fairtrade products, and in turn help more farmers and their families benefit through receiving a better price for their hard work, and through the Fairtrade Premium payments.
Fairtrade is helping to protect some of the UK’s most loved food and drinks products – including coffee, tea and cocoa – and the farmers that grow them, which are at risk from the impacts of climate change.
Rumsby warned: “The world is far more insecure than it was in the mid-1990s. Climate change, global conflicts and the pandemic have heightened threats to farmers’ livelihoods whilst simultaneously exposing the fragility of our shared food system.
“There is urgent need for immediate action for the sake of producers’ livelihoods and for the availability and affordability of supermarket staples. As we look towards the next 30 years and beyond, there is so much more we can all do to improve lives and the land that sustains us.”
The UK is food insecure, importing almost half its food, and with 16 per cent coming from countries which are exposed to climate change and lacking the capacity to adapt and respond.
Last Fairtrade Fortnight, the Fairtrade Foundation revealed how environmental shocks in one part of the world can lead to empty shelves and food price inflation in our supermarkets: Read The Endangered Aisle.
Communities in climate-vulnerable nations are left to the mercy of the unpredictable forces of climate breakdown: extreme temperatures, prolonged droughts, water scarcity, catastrophic floods and hurricanes.
Research shows that Fairtrade can play a major role in addressing the climate crisis and environmental sustainability of many of our beloved food staples.
To find out more about how to take part in Fairtrade Fortnight, visit: www.fairtrade.org.uk/get-involved/current-campaigns/fairtrade-fortnight/
#FairtradeFortnight #BeTheChange
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For more information, interviews, and images, contact: martine.parry@fairtrade.org.uk Tel: +44(0)7886 301486
Notes to editors
• About Fairtrade: Fairtrade changes the way trade works through better prices, decent working conditions, and a fairer deal for farmers and workers in low-income countries.
• Fairtrade International is an independent non-profit organisation representing 2 million small-scale farmers and workers worldwide. It owns the FAIRTRADE Mark, a registered trademark of Fairtrade that appears on more than 30,000 products. Beyond certification, Fairtrade International and its member organisations – including the Fairtrade Foundations – support producers, partner with businesses, engage consumers, and advocate for a fair and sustainable future. Visit Fairtrade International
• Fairtrade Premium payments are unique to Fairtrade certified products. Over and above the Fairtrade price, the Fairtrade Premium is an additional sum of money which goes into a communal fund for workers and farmers to use – as they see fit – to improve their social, economic and environmental conditions.