An introduction to Fair Trade An introduction to Fair Trade

Before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half the world. »Martin Luther King

1. Fair price for goods 2. Social premium 3. Better trading conditions 4. Environmental protection

Fairtrade or Fair Trade?

Fair Trade certification schemes Commodities Manufactured products

Howard Msukwa Karonga district in northern Malawi Kilombero rice

Farming in Malawi  No machinery  No artificial irrigation  Hard to compete

How Fair Trade helps  NASFAM  Local farmers’ groups  Co-operatives

 Built a new house  School fees What this means for Howard

1827 – ‘Free Produce Society’ formed in the US, which boycotted products made by slaves. Late 1940s – Overseas charities begin selling fairly traded handicrafts – Oxfam launched the ‘Helping-by-Selling’ programme First Fairtrade label, Max Havelaar, launched in the Netherlands. The first product was coffee from Mexico – Global coffee prices collapsed, with some farmers losing up to 70% of their income. Demand for Fair Trade goods increased – Aberfeldy and Strathaven become the first Fairtrade towns in Scotland – Scotland becomes a Fair Trade Nation. Timeline

the first UK product receives Fairtrade certification – Green & Black’s ‘Maya Gold’ chocolate bar, using cocoa from Belize. Clipper tea and Cafédirect coffee were the next two products to be certified Fairtrade shortly afterwards.

Fairtrade Towns

Community involvement: Local authority areas Fairtrade Town groups Levels of awareness and buying of Fair Trade Scottish Parliament: Use and promote Fair Trade products Scottish Government: Public sector procurement Curriculum What is a Fair Trade Nation?

Why become a Fair Trade Nation?

What can I do to support Fair Trade? Buy Fair Trade products Encourage friends and family to buy Fair Trade products Speak to local shops and businesses Write to/ companies Spread the word - join (or start) a Fair Trade group