Fairtrade Fortnight (3–16 August 2022)
Choosing Fair is Child’s Play
This week will heralds the beginning of Fairtrade Fortnight - an annual celebration of the positive impact that purchasing Fairtrade products (like our Fairtrade cotton bags) has. This year, Fairtrade Fortnight is focused on children.
Manufacturers of Fairtrade certified products (like us!) are committed to protecting the planet for the benefit of everyone, but we acknowledge that the future generations are going to feel the impacts of our choices more than anyone. This is why Fairtrade Australia & New Zealand are particularly focused on children and expressing that choosing to buy Fairtrade product (be it cotton, coffee, tea, chocolate or bananas) means a better life for children everywhere – now and in the future.
When cotton farmers in the developing world already struggle to afford essentials like nutritious food, healthcare, and children’s schooling due to the low price that they get for their crops, how can we expect them to meet the cost of investing in green energy, planting trees or cutting their on-farm emissions? Like any kiwi farmer will tell you…farming requires financial resources – and sustainable farming usually requires even more financial resources.
If you had to choose between sending your child to school or planting trees for your long-term future, what would you pick? Sustainable farming isn’t cheap farming, but if you buy our Fairtrade
certified cotton bags, farmers can support their families AND look after the environment. The same goes when you’re shopping coffee, tea, chocolate, bananas, and cotton tee-shirts - look for the Fairtrade Mark when you shop so there doesn’t have to be a compromise.
Fair means treating people with respect and looking after the world we live in.
By providing Fairtrade cotton products, we’re giving farmers a fair deal because the base cotton is purchased by paying at least a Fairtrade minimum price, which set to cover the sustainable cost of production (or market price when it’s higher). Over and above that, a Fairtrade premium is also paid. This is an additional sum of money, which goes into a communal fund for workers to use – as they see fit – to improve their social, economic and environmental conditions.
The Fairtrade Standards require small producers to take steps to…
- adapt to climate change
- reduce greenhouse gases and increase cardon sequestration
- avoid deforestation and protect forests
- tackle soil erosion and increase soil fertility
- reduce water wastage
Our Fairtrade certified cotton bags
We are Fairtrade certified because we care about the planet - and its people. You can contribute too by purchasing these products:
