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FAIRTRADE RICHMOND UPON THAMESThe London Borough of Richmond upon Thames has officially been declared a FAIRTRADE BOROUGH. |
FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT 2008
Fairtrade Fortnight is an annual national event co-ordinated by the Fairtrade Foundation, to promote the Fairtrade Mark. This year it fell between the 25th of February to the 9th of March.
The Richmond Fairtrade steering group co-ordinated an exciting Fairtrade Town Trail. Participants were invited to visit shops and cafes that sell Fairtrade products and ask for a signature on their form. Thank you to all who took part.
Fairtrade Directory
The Richmond Fairtrade Steering Group has produced a directory of where you can purchase Fairtrade goods in retail outlets, cafes and restaurants. The directory can be downloaded here (this is a PowerPoint document set up so that it can be printed in its current form).
Fairtrade Steering Group
The Richmond Fairtrade steering group aims to promote the use and availability of Fairtrade products throughout the borough and to continue the work from achieving Fairtrade Borough Status from the Fairtrade Foundation. The following steps were taken to achieve this:
- Obtaining local authority backing, with a resolution in support of Fairtrade passed by the council;
- Promoting Fairtrade products available in shops and cafes (with a directory of places where people can purchase or consume these);
- Ensuring that Fairtrade products are used by a number of community organisations, including churches and schools, and in a range of workplaces;
- Encouraging media coverage and popular support for the campaign;
- Setting up a steering group to sustain momentum.
Find out more about the Fairtrade Foundation’s National Fairtrade Town campaign by clicking here
What are Fairtrade Products?
Fairtrade products have been awarded an independent consumer label – the FAIRTRADE Mark – by the Fairtrade Foundation as a guarantee that producers in developing countries receive a better deal:
- A fair and stable price for farming communities;
- Greater income for farmers and plantation workers to improve their lives;
- Greater respect for the environment;
- A stronger position for small farmers in world markets;
- A closer link between shoppers and producers.
Find out more about the work of the Fairtrade Foundation by visiting www.fairtrade.org.uk.
Fairtrade Borough
July 2006's announcement that Richmond has achieved Fairtrade Borough status, follows many months of activities by the Fairtrade group. The first major step on the route came last July, when a motion that the council should actively support and promote Fairtrade was passed unanimously. Read more on this here.
To get involved in the local Fairtrade Group and help support the groups aims, please contact fairtrade@richenvironmentnet.org.uk. The group's meetings can also be found listed on the Events Calendar.
Fairtrade Schools
The Fairtrade Foundation's Schools Scheme has been launched. The criteria can be found on the website http://www.fairtrad
