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Good news from the Fairtrade Foundation!

The Worldwide sales of Fairtrade products increased by an impressive 22% in 2008.  In fact, consumers spent an estimated 2.9 billion Euros on Fairtrade products globally. Worldwide sales have more or less doubled for both Fairtrade tea and for Fairtrade cotton items.

Fairtrade bananas sales grew by 28% to 300,000 metric tonnes whilst Fairtrade coffee sales increased 14% to 66,000 metric tonnes.

Ruth Simba, Coordinator of the African Fairtrade Network, the representative body of Fairtrade producers in Africa, said “We are very happy that consumers are supporting Fairtrade in ever increasing numbers. These Fairtrade sales make a real difference to the farmers and workers I represent. As the global recession hits us, the income and stability that Fairtrade brings is all the more important.”

Record UK Fairtrade sales of over £700m were welcomed by Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation.  She said “We’re delighted that the growth of 43% in Fairtrade sales, keeps us on track with our plan to double the impact of Fairtrade by 2012. In the current global economic climate, farmers need Fairtrade more than ever. So it is profoundly reassuring to know that globally, consumers are still wholeheartedly backing a better deal for farmers and workers around the world, enabling them to survive this crisis and continue investing in stronger businesses and a better life for their communities. And it makes sense for business to build long-term relations with producers on whom they depend while also responding to public demand for Fairtrade.”

There were 746 Fairtrade certified producer organizations representing over one million and a half individual farmers and workers as of the end of 2008. There are at least another 70,000 members of affiliated organisations that belong to Fairtrade certified producer groups that also benefit from Fairtrade, which include women’s groups and other groups not directly involved in the production of Fairtrade products, like cattle herders.

See the full story at http://www.fairtrade.org.uk

Fairtrade organisation is crucial; otherwise, nothing would happen about Fairtrade!  Someone, somewhere, has to do something in order to get any activity started in the first place.

Take the children’s playgroup that I attend.  I turn up every week with two children, pay my £3.00, and my kids have a great time for a couple of hours playing with friends,  I help tidy up at the end and then go home.

The whole thing only happens because there are a group of people who make it happen.  The play group is actually run by a charity which has active members who think up ideas, decide on a plan, and then make it happen.

The same is true for Fairtrade.  It needs organisation.  The most important part of that process is leadership.  However, we can all do our bit – like me helping to do the clearing up at playgroup – and will it help the cause.

It can be as simple as thinking about Fairtrade products when you are shopping.  You could become actively involved in Fairtrade matters or campaign for better workers’ rights by writing to your supermarket and saying you want to see more Fairtrade products on the shelves.

You can find out more about Fairtrade organisation by looking at the Fairtrade Resources list on this site.

I urge you to do something, though.  No matter how small.  Just do something to help Fairtrade Organisation.  Be part of it because it will help the world’s poorest, the environment, me, you and generations to come.

Cadbury’s Milk Chocolate going Fairtrade is great news – especially as there will be no price increase! It costs more to make a Fairtrade chocolate bar but Cadburys have absorbed the cost.

It has taken Cadburys a couple of years to make this change. There must have been a tremendous amount of work involved and it would have been a huge business decision, especially as they have made a long term commitment to the producers of chocolate to remain Fairtrade.

Have a look at my article about Cadbury’s venture into Fairtrade and why it is such good news.

There is a Cadbury’s tradition of philanthropy that goes back a long, long way. The family that started Cadburys have done huge amounts to help many people. The village of Bourneville, in Birmingham, was designed to be a “factory in a garden” where workers could live a decent, quality life, whilst working for the firm. It is worth popping into the village to see how it was constructed. It is still a fascinating place to see.

Once again, well done Cadburys!!!!!

Fair trade means looking after the environment because the two subjects are linked very, very closely.  It is a tragedy that the worst effects of climate change happen in the poorest parts of the world.

Cafod launched its “Hands Together for Climate Justice” campaign in March this year.  It is gaining momentum as it builds towards the UN climate change talks to be held in December 2009.

There are a whole range of actions that you can take to support this initiative.  This includes sending a postcard to the Prime Minister, a Campaigner’s Kit to help spread the news, Bible and Retreat materials and youth and school group resources.

The quality of the material that Cafod provides is brilliant and well worth ordering and using as suits your needs.

Fairtrade means doing something.  Find out more about this campaign and get those free resources at www.Caford.org

I have recently become a chocolate addict due to the influence of my wife!  Divine Chocolate is a Fair Trade product with a fascinating history.  I have placed a video here which tells you about Divine Chocolate .

Interesting, eh?

You can get your hands on Divine Chocolate at Ethical Superstore – you do not even have to leave home to buy it!  Fair trade was never easier!

Now you can enjoy some Divine Chocolate with a little less guilt than usual………

I just found a great blog that provides information on Fairtrade right from where it matters – a fair trade banana farm in Ecuador!

Annika Aho is a Finnish volunteer worker who is keeping a blog called Fairtrade in Ecuador. It makes for great reading. There are photos from the farm and lots and lots of information about bananas! Well, that’s exactly what you would expect!!!

I’ve always believed that we should be trying to change the world one banana at a time. Here is the opportunity to find out how!

See his blog at Fairtrade in Ecuador

I came across a supplier of Fair Trade T Shirts in a recent copy of the Big Issue. I always find this magazine a really good read and the adverts in the back are very interesting, too. It’s worth buying purely because it is a good magazine and the fact that it is doing something positive about helping the homeless is also great.

Back to those Fair Trade T Shirts. Mark Perryman of ethical T-Shirt company Philosophy Football makes some excellent comments about ethical and fair trade. He talks about the fact that evaluating a company’s ethical standards has much do with the purchaser’s views on what being ethical is all about. And that is a really good point.

Being ethical runs all the way through Marks’s business philosophy. No T-Shirts are ever thrown away, for instance. End of line leftovers are stored or donated to aid projects. He supports the Post Office being kept in the public domain and he rides to work on a company bicycle.

How refreshing is all of that!!!!

Their website is philosophyfootball.com and is well worth checking out.

Up to the minute Fair Trade Information – I’ve just received an excellent leaflet from ActionAid. It seems that we are able to do something about Fair Trade right now.

There have been calls for a Supermarket Watchdog. Indeed, even the Competition Commission’s inquiry into the power of the supermarkets called for such a body. If it were to be set up, there would have someone regulating the supermarkets and making sure that they treat the producers of their goods fairly. The decision about whether the Watchdog will get the go ahead is about to be made.

The key decision maker is Lord Mandelson.

You are encouraged to write to him and put forward the view that the Watchdog should be set up.

The ActionAid leaflet goes on to highlight the pledge of Sana Louw, who is grapepicker for the major UK Supermarkets. Sure, she gets above minimum wage, but she has to support seven people, finds food very expensive, and sometimes has no money. Makes you think.

Anyway, you can find out much more about this, including how to go about writing to Lord Mandelson, at www.actionaid.org.uk and search for Mandelson. I would really encourage you to ask for their regular, snail mail newsletter. It is excellent.

“Charity in Truth” has just been release by the Pope and it is a fascinating document. In it, Pope Benedict XVI calls for a reformed economic system and a new way of running a globalised economy.

Profit is no bad thing, just so long as it does not get too out of hand, he says. The problem with it is that it can get out of hand and things go awry when we pursue profit at all costs.

He goes on to call for a reformed United Nations and other international financial authorities. These should focus on “integral and timely disarmament, food security and peace, to guarantee the protection of the environment and to regulate migration.”

The Pope also says that there is a big opportunity to replan the path that humans are taking. We could redistribute wealth on a large scale if we take the right path.

This seems a pretty balanced and practical view to me. It is interesting that, once again, several issues go hand in hand – globalisation, treating workers around the world fairly (Fair trade), a strong world economy, the unregulated exploitation of the earth’s resources and so on.

It’s a fairly large document at 144 pages but well worth a rad. You can find “Charity in Truth” at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.html

Fair trade has many implications. It is not just about the quality of he life of the people who produce our consumer goods. Far from it. Fairtrade can also have a major impact upon the quality of our lives, too. How can this possibly be.

Hop over to the livesimply website and you can find out exactly how.

The idea actually came from Pope Paul VI in document he wrote in 1967. His words are very powerful and represent much of what Fairtrade is all about. “God intended the earth and everything in it for the use of all human beings and peoples.”

In a nutshell, the livesimply concept is that we should live simply, sustainably and in solidarity with the poor. It is God that calls us to live in such a way. Our planet and the producers of our gods get a better deal whilst we get time to enjoy ourselves, reflect on things, have a much improved work / life balance and gain a much higher quality of life as a result. Win/win all around.

This has to be a better way than how we as a society have travelled over recent years. We are, I believe, just beginning to realise that we have put far too much emphasis on the accumulation of wealth and material possessions. They do not, in themselves, bring the happiness that we seek.

Here’s some evidence to support my theory. People are reducing their debt. They are not only taking out fewer, smaller loans and borrowings, but they are actually paying them off. People are even making additional payments to their mortgage in an effort to redeem it sooner. How different is that to the last 15 years in the UK?

Go and have a look at livesimply. It’s a fascinating thought whether you have a Christian belief or not.

Here’s a good idea. Jonathan Thomas runs a blog and is recommending a fairtrade coffee to try every month. It’s a great idea because you may as well get the very most from your fairtrade purchases.

I have always found the Fairtrade coffee that I have bought to have be excellent. It’s like I am being rewarded every time I choose to buy it. It’s great to have someone recommend the best of the best, so to speak.

You can check out Jonathan’s recommendations at Random Thoughts. Enjoy.

A recent report from Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International found that the majority of shoppers expect organisations to behave properly towards their suppliers in the third world.

Over half of the 14 500 people surveyed across 15 different countries said they were active in their ethical shopping. It’s worth reading the full story on the BBC.

This is great news and I believe that it is something that the major companies – retailers and manufacturers alike – should take on board. Businesses that listen to what their customers want, rather than what they think they want, tend to do rather well.