Fairtrade Fortnight runs from 22nd February – 7th March and is about encouraging UK companies to share their Fairtrade stories. It’s about raising awareness for people all over the world who cultivate our food and drink, mine our minerals or grow the cotton that makes our clothes. These are the people we rarely think about when we’re putting on our shirt in the morning or drinking our first cup of coffee but in many cases, the people who make it possible for us to wear that shirt of drink that coffee are still being exploited.
Of course, this year is different, not just for those unknown farmers all over the world but for us here in the UK too, we’ve all had a tremendously difficult year. The purpose of this article isn’t to chastise anyone, it’s simply to raise awareness. If just one person reads this and double checks their favourite coffee brand next time they’re shopping, checking for that Fairtrade logo, it’s a successful article.
What is Fairtrade?
In a nutshell, Fairtrade is about making sure farmers in developing countries receive a fair price and work in safe environments to produce the things we see on our shelves here in the UK. It’s about making sure they can focus on sustainability, provide an education for their children and rest safe in the knowledge they’ll be able to put food on their table not just next week, but next year too.
We’ve talked about the importance of Fairtrade in our Journal before, you can read this article.
What’s Fairtrade Fortnight 2021 about?
Fairtrade Fortnight 2021 is focusing on climate change because it’s countries in Latin America and Africa that are feeling some of the harshest impacts from the climate crisis, but they’ve contributed to it the least.
Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world, but when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, they’re higher than the global average. But unlike almost every other country in the world, their high emissions aren’t from burning fuels and natural gasses. Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissions are high because of the trees being cut down and burnt in the Amazon rainforest.
Fairtrade and coffee
According to fairtrade.org.uk, 125 million people are dependant on coffee for their livelihood. when you buy Fairtrade coffee, you’re not just making sure these people have a better quality of life, you’re helping them produce a better-quality coffee bean. Fairtrade also helps these farmers build more sustainable farms, they can invest in cleaner energies and water conservation and because they know they’re getting a guaranteed price for their coffee, they can plan for their future.
They can only do all this with your help. Whether you’re an instant coffee lover, you prefer a slow drip or you’re a fan of the pod machines, check if your favourite brand supports Fairtrade.
#ChooseFairtrade #FairtradeFortnight
