What is Fairtrade Fortnight?
What does Fairtrade do? Fairtrade works with farming co-operatives, businesses and governments to make trade fair. It sets social, economic and environmental standards for the companies and farmers involved in the supply chain. For farmers and workers the standards include protection of workers’ rights and the environment.
Fairtrade Fortnight is an annual promotional campaign which happens once every year, organized and funded by the Fairtrade Foundation to increase awareness of Fairtrade products. This year, it will highlight the urgent threat to the future of the foods we love and the livelihoods of the people who grow them, as they face the worst effects of the climate crisis. Without our support for fairer prices today, farmers will find it even harder to tackle the climate and economic challenges of the future.
Fairtrade vision? A world in which trade is based on fairness so that producers earn secure and sustainable livelihoods.
Why it matters?
Did you know coffee, bananas and chocolate could soon be much more difficult to find on our shelves? Climate change is making crops like these harder and harder to grow. Combined with deeply unfair trade, communities growing these crops are being pushed to the brink.
Smallholder farmers simply can’t foot the bill for adapting to economic and climate change on their current incomes. This fortnight and beyond, Fairtrade is asking shoppers to act now and choose Fairtrade to back the farmers behind some of our favourite products to ensure they are paid fairly and can keep farming through these extremely tough times.
The current financial crisis is taking a heavy toll on smallholder farmers and workers, with the costs of fuel, fertiliser and food all increasing beyond what is affordable. If they aren’t getting a fair price to cover their costs at this critical time, it means they won’t be able to grow food in the future.
A fair income for farmers and workers is vital now, not only so they can keep farming, but so they can afford to invest in making changes to adapt to the worsening climate and economic crises. It’s simply not fair to expect them to do both without our support.
By choosing Fairtrade now, you’re taking a stand with farmers and workers worldwide for fairer incomes, so together we can protect the future of our food.
What can you do?
- Choose Fairtrade whenever you can. Choosing to invest in the farmers doing amazing work to secure a sustainable future for food is easy on campus, with all hot drinks served in the Union cafés being Fairtrade. That's right: every time you get a coffee, tea, chai or hot chocolate in Print Room or Gordon's, you're choosing Fairtrade. Delicious Tony's Chocolonely chocolate bars and Karma soft drinks are also Fairtrade certified - easy choice!
- Spread the word. If more of us choose Fairtrade we can make an even bigger difference. Visit our social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or sign up for emails by visiting fairtrade.org.uk/join.
- Make a Community Declaration of Solidarity. In every single UK constituency, Fairtrade supporters have started a Community Declaration of Solidarity for farmers taking on the climate crisis. Visit our Fairtrade and Climate Justice campaign page to sign and share today.
Whatever your budget and wherever you shop, consumers can choose Fairtrade products today to support farmers by ensuring they have fairer pay to face the climate crisis and continue producing the foods we love.
What are we doing?
- Fairtrade hot drink deals:
- Morning (8:00-9:00) - any hot drink & a pastry: £2.50 (when you bring a reusable cup) - available at Gordon's, Print Room, Grab & Go.
- Afternoon (15:00-16:00) - any hot drink & a traybake: £2.50 (when you bring a reusable cup) - available at Gordon's, Print Room, Bloomsbury.
- Look out for some educational materials about our fantastic Fairtrade brands and the work of Fairtrade Foundation around our cafés.
- Fairtrade Fortnight events: