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Fairtrade - Fair’s fair

25 January 2010

Fairtrade Fortnight is a chance to change your shopping habits and make a difference to the lives of farmers in developing countries

The Fairtrade Foundation is encouraging people to swap everyday shopping basket items such as tea, coffee, chocolate, cotton t-shirts and cakes for fairtrade ones during Fairtrade Fortnight 2010.

Held this year from 22 February to 7 March, Fairtrade Fortnight is an annual campaign, supported by PCS, to promote awareness of fairtrade and encourage people to buy products which carry the fair-trade mark in order to help farmers in developing countries. Fairtrade Fortnight unites fairtrade supporters, bringing together retailers, manufacturers, producers and consumers.

During the two weeks, the Fairtrade Foundation will be totting up product swaps on a special online swap-o-meter. The aim is to get people to make 1,000,001 swaps over the two-week period and change the lives of millions of farmers around the world.

Research shows that even among people who are likely to agree with the ideals behind fairtrade, entrenched shopping habits sometimes prevent them from consciously looking for and choosing new fairtrade products.

The Big Swap is designed to show shoppers how easy it can be to break out of old shopping habits and start new ones especially as more than 4,500 products have been licensed to carry the fairtrade mark.

Celebrities are expected to be among those backing The Big Swap by wearing or buying something different from Fairtrade Fortnight onwards. Campaigners and supporters in thousands of fairtrade towns, schools, universities and churches around the country will also join the campaign and swap something for fairtrade. Supermarkets and other retail outlets nationwide will also be asked to join the campaign.

During Fairtrade Fortnight 2009 more than 10,000 events took place around the country • everything from workplace fairtrade coffee breaks to debates and fashion shows in hundreds of major towns and cities. Why not get involved this year in your workplace.

Show your support

There are lots of ways to get involved in Fairtrade Fortnight. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

  • Order posters, leaflets and stickers from www.bigswap.org.uk and publicise the campaign in your workplace
  • Organise a stall or event with fair-trade goodies to raise awareness of some of the delicious produce available
  • Set up a Big Brew fairtrade tea party in support of Traidcraft’s campaign to get a better deal for tea producers. Postcards are available at green@pcs.org.uk for other ideas and resources see http://tiny.cc/Q111Z
  • Ask your canteen to switch at least one of its non-fairtrade products to fairtrade
  • Hold a bake-off competition where people bring in cakes made with Fairtrade ingredients to raise funds. For recipe ideas visit www.fairtrade.org.uk/products/recipes

Visit www.bigswap.org.uk for plenty of ideas and resources for events, including posters saying ‘Britain! Swap Your Cuppa’; ‘What’s your Fairtrade Swap?’ and ‘Swap Your Five-A-Day’
 

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