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Fairtrade
For the past
year Sadiq has been campaigning with the Wandsworth
Fairtrade Group to make Wandsworth a Fairtrade Borough.
In many ways
we have already begun to make Tooting a Fairtrade zone.
There is a functioning Fairtrade group who have been
organising events and attracting media attention and
Fairtrade products are available to many cafes and
restaurants.
These steps
have taken us some way towards fulfilling the criteria that
must be met before Tooting, and Wandsworth as a whole can
achieve Fairtrade status, but we still have some way to go.
For Wandsworth to be a Fairtrade zone and help make London a
Fairtrade city, the Council must pass a resolution in
support of Fairtrade.
Tooting’s
Labour Councillors support the introduction of a Fairtrade
Council Resolution, however the Majority Conservative Party
do not. Sadiq has been in contact with the Leader of the
Council, Councillor Edward Lister, to ask him to support a
Fairtrade Resolution at the next Full Council Meeting, but
as yet, he has failed to support the campaign to grant
Wandsworth Fairtrade status.
Sadiq
wants to
encourage local residents to also write to Cllr Lister
directly at the Leaders Office, Town Hall, Wandsworth High
Street, SW18 2PU. (Please copy Sadiq into any
correspondence so he can maintain the pressure).
Sadiq is also collecting a
petition in support of a Fairtrade Council Resolution. To
add your name to the petition email Sadiq at
sadiqkhanmp@parliament.uk
with Fairtrade in the subject line.
What is Fairtrade?
Fairtrade is
about better prices, decent working conditions, local
sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and
workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to
pay above market prices, Fairtrade addresses the injustices
of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates
against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to
improve their lot and have more control over their lives.
What is the FAIRTRADE Mark?
The FAIRTRADE
Mark is an independent consumer label which appears on UK
products as a guarantee that they have given their producers
a better deal. The Mark is awarded by the Fairtrade
Foundation, a registered charity set up by CAFOD, Christian
Aid, Oxfam, Traidcraft Exchange and the World Development
Movement. It shares internationally recognised Fairtrade
standards with initiatives in 20 other countries, working
together as Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International
(FLO).
What does Fairtrade mean for third world
producers?
There are an
estimated 1 million farmers and workers directly involved in
Fairtrade. In addition, millions more people benefit
indirectly from the investments in communities made by farms
that operate a fir trading system. Fairtrade means better
terms of trade and decent production conditions. The
Fairtrade Foundation, with its partners, maintains these
standards by regularly inspecting third world suppliers, and
checking contracts and trade terms.
How does
an area become a Fairtrade Zone?
To become a
Fairtrade Town (or any other populated area), 5 goals must
be met:
For
more information on Fairtrade visit
www.fairtrade.org.uk
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