Fairtrade presentation for FTFN 2008
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The document summarizes what the FAIRTRADE Mark means for producers in developing countries. It guarantees producers receive a fair and stable price for their products, as well as premiums to invest in their communities. Over 7 million producers and their families benefit from Fairtrade, which helps small farmers gain a stronger position in global markets and encourages environmental protection. Fairtrade allows producers to improve living standards through education, infrastructure, and sustainable farming practices.
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Fairtrade presentation for FTFN 2008
- 4. Fairtrade means… A fair and stable price for producers “… we can buy pens and notebooks so children can go to school. We have bought seeds and fertiliser to grow vegetables and improve our family’s diet.” Sira Souko Cotton farmer, Batimakana, Mali
- 5. Fairtrade means… Extra income to invest in bringing about change for the future Farmers at Mabale Growers’ tea factory in Uganda used some of their Fairtrade premium to build a road for the local community enabling easier access to local markets.
- 6. Fairtrade means… Producers are working to protect their environment Coffee farmers in one co-operative in Costa Rica are protecting the rainforest with new coffee driers that run on recycled coffee bean husks and organic material, rather than using firewood .
- 7. Fairtrade means… Small farmers have a stronger position in world markets “ For us small producers, we are very committed to Fairtrade. It is our means of survival here in the Dominican Republic. We see Fairtrade as being part of a big family.” Jos é Peralta Banana Grower ASOBANU, Dominican Republic
- 8. More people buying more products in more places … more often!
- 10. Growth in number of producer groups supplying the UK
Editor's Notes
- Slide One: Change Today Choose Fairtrade Aims Introduce yourself, welcome everyone and outline what the presentation will cover Key Points Welcome everyone and thank them for coming. Introduce yourself. You might want to explain your involvement with raising awareness of Fairtrade and how you got involved. Outline what you will be presenting. You will tell them a bit more about Fairtrade, its importance and how they can start to get involved during this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight, and speaking about the Fairtrade Places of Worship scheme. The theme of this year’s Fortnight is Change Today Choose Fairtrade. In other words, the change we make today by choosing Fairtrade brings about positive change for producers who make the products. Despite the increasingly popularity of Fairtrade, we need to keep spreading the word about Fairtrade and the change that it brings. More people, choosing more products, more often means more producers benefit from a lasting change. Therefore we will also be talking about how we can encourage people in our homes, workplaces and communities to make a change today and choose Fairtrade. Possible Questions Who already buys Fairtrade? Does anyone know what Fairtrade Fortnight is? Optional Focus on Trade Justice The focus upon ‘change’ also provides an opportunity to communicate to our UK and European governments. As the British public, we are making choices that create positive change for producers in the developing world. We want to see our government doing the same by pushing for the changes that need to be made to international trade rules so that producers lives can change for the better through trade.
- Slide Two: The FAIRTRADE Mark Aims To explain what the FAIRTRADE Mark and the Fairtrade Foundation are. Key Points The FAIRTRADE Mark is an independent consumer label awarded to products in the UK to show that they guarantee a better deal for farmers and workers in developing countries. Fairtrade is an international system. Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) is the international body that sets standards for Fairtrade products and inspects and certifies producer organisations against them. It also audits the flow of goods between producers and importers in markets where Fairtrade labels operate. In the UK, an independent organisation called the Fairtrade Foundation works with companies and licensees them to use the FAIRTRADE Mark on individual products that meet these internationally agreed Fairtrade Standards. More than 7 million people - farmers, workers and their families - in 58 countries benefit from the international Fairtrade system. None of this is possible without consumers . More and more consumers are choosing the FAIRTRADE Mark to make an immediate difference. By choosing Fairtrade, they ensure that producers receive a fair price and show how trade can be made to work in favour of poor people and the environment. Possible Questions What is the Fairtrade Foundation? What role does Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) play?
- Slide Three: Change Today and Change for Tomorrow Aim To explain that current trade rules and practices are biased in favour of rich countries and powerful companies and to introduce the five guarantees of the FAIRTRADE Mark. Key Points If all trade were fair and benefited everyone equally, we wouldn’t need Fairtrade. This unfortunately isn’t the case. The rules and practices of international trade are biased in favour of rich countries and powerful companies, often to the cost of poor producers and the environment. Many farmers and workers in developing countries struggle to provide for their families. Often the price they get paid for their crop does not cover the cost of production. Fairtrade seeks to change this. It is not the solution to all poverty, but it can show one way that trade can work in favour of poor people and the environment. When you see the FAIRTRADE Mark, it means that it has been independently certified to make sure producers are getting a better deal from what they sell. It means that: The producer organisations have received a fair and stable price for their products In addition to the basic price, farmers and workers have the opportunity to improve their lives through an additional premium. They can use this money any way they like to improve their own organisations, or invest in their community. Farmers and workers decided democratically what these projects should be. Fairtrade standards aim to protect and improve the environment , and promote sustainable agricultural practices. With the extra income that farmers receive from Fairtrade, they can also invest in their own environmental projects, such as recycling, tree planting, clean water programmes. Some farmers are also using money from Fairtrade to convert to organic farming methods. Small farmers gain a stronger position in world markets. By working together farmers can be stronger in the market. Fairtrade supports small farmers in building up their own organisations, and helping them to compete in a vicious market place. With Fairtrade, we can feel a closer link with people at the other end of the supply chain, who grow the products we buy. When we choose Fairtrade, factors such as a fair and stable price creates change today – immediate change for the people who produced the product. It also is a part of a long term process of change as producers can invest in their businesses and communities through the social premium. Finally by choosing Fairtrade products, we can send out a signal to politicians and businesses about how we would like international trade to work better for poor people and the planet – a call for trade justice. We will now look at each of these in a bit more detail seeing what kind of a difference they make on the ground. Possible Questions What does the FAIRTRADE Mark mean to you, when you see it on a product?
- Slide Four: A Fair and Stable Price Aim Using the case of cotton, this slide demonstrates the volatility of the world market price and the impact it can have when it drops. Key Points The world market price for raw materials like coffee, tea, cotton and bananas can be very volatile. It leaves farmers incredibly vulnerable. Because of factors beyond farmers’ control, prices can drop so low that they earn less for their product than it costs to run the farm. They may struggle to buy food, keep their children in school and ultimately may lose their land and livelihood. For example, 100 million rural households around the world are involved in cotton production. In 2002, cotton prices fell to their lowest level for 30 years. As well as competition from synthetic fibres, one major reason for this fall in prices has been the dumping of subsidised cotton on world markets by the US, EU and China. This has had a devastating effect for cotton farmers, particularly those in West Africa. Fairtrade operates a minimum price for cotton so that the amount that a farmer receives will be stable and never drop below this. When the market is low, this ensures farmers do not lose their livelihoods. If the market price were to rise above the Fairtrade minimum, then farmers would receive the higher price. Sira Souko, a cotton producer in Mali, describes how getting a better price for cotton has allowed them to meet the needs of their children. She says ‘Fairtrade has put money in to the hands of women to meet our children’s needs. We can buy pens and notebooks so they can go to school. We have bought seeds and fertiliser to grow vegetables and improve our family’s diet.’ Optional Focus on Trade Justice The case of cotton clearly highlights double standards taking place within the international trade system. While developing countries are not allowed to provide subsidies to their farmers, the US subsidises its own farmers to the extent that in 2003/04 they were receiving 70% above the world price. This leads to overproduction so that US cotton is dumped on world markets. The WTO has ruled against US cotton subsidies but despite this, the level of subsidies in fact rose in the following twelve months.
- Slide Five: A Social Premium Aim Using the case of tea, this slide illustrates the importance of the premium that is included in the Fairtrade price. Key Points As well as the Fairtrade price, producer organisations receive a premium on top of this that is set aside for farmers and workers to spend on social and environmental projects in the community or to strengthen their organisations. The premium money is put into a separate account, and the farmers and workers decide together how to invest it. Within the community the social premium might be used for securing electricity, clean water, health and education programmes or even sports grounds. Within a co-operative it might be used to diversify their production, improve quality control or purchase more effective equipment. Investments like these allow communities to make long term improvements and work their own way out of poverty. Decisions on how the premium is spent are taken democratically by committees of elected farmers. On larger farms with hired workers, a Joint Body of management and elected workers make these decisions. Silver Kasoro is the chairman of the Joint Body deciding how to spend the social premium at Mabale Growers Tea Factory in Uganda. This road gave the community better access to the nearby town which gave them access to facilities and also to the local market. Community members could then diversify into new crops that could be sold at the local market. Possible Questions Does anyone know what the social premium is? What types of things is it used for? Who decides on how the social premium is used?
- Slide Six: Greater Respect for the Environment Aim Using the case of coffee, this aims to illustrate the commitment of Fairtrade standards to protecting and improving the environment as well as how increased income from Fairtrade makes this possible. Key Points Farmers across the world are under pressure to increase their yields by using more chemicals, threatening human health and environmental sustainability. Fairtrade standards aim to protect the environment and the extra income from Fairtrade makes this possible. In the case of all products: 1) Fairtrade producers are required to dispose of waste products safely and responsibly. 2) Use of GM seeds is banned. 3) Diversification and crop rotation are encouraged to improve soil fertility. 4) Farmers are encouraged to progressively reduce use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides In Costa Rica, the Llano Bonito Co-operative has invested in new coffee drying equipment. Gerardo Arias Camacho, a coffee farmer and member of the co-op explains that whereas the old wood fired ovens forced the farmers to cut down trees, the new environmental ovens run using the pulp from coffee cherries and macadamia nut husks and they are encouraging members of the local community to also bring in their own recyclable waste. This means fewer trees are being cut, more of the community are now recycling, and farmers are planting new trees to prevent soil erosion as well as protecting their streams and rivers. As Gerardo says, “ you are helping us in developing countries to have a more dignified life, be able to protect the environment, we are protecting the whole world by protecting the lungs of the world, the forests we have there. You buy our products under Fairtrade terms, and we send you oxygen back. It’s a nice way of doing business.”. NB: Gerardo is one of the producers visiting the UK during Fairtrade Fortnight 2008. You can read more about Gerardo on the Fairtrade Foundation’s website.
- Slide Seven: A Stronger Position in World Markets Aim Using the case of bananas in the Dominican Republic, this aims to illustrate the ways in which Fairtrade can strengthen the position of farmers in a competitive world market. Key Points Thousands of families in the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean make their living growing bananas on small farms. During the 1990s, small farmers across the Caribbean have been under threat from competition from large-scale Latin America banana plantations where labour is cheaper and costs are lower. Organisations of small-scale growers have struggled to sell their bananas at a price that enables them to maintain a livelihood for their families. Through Fairtrade farmers have been able to improve facilities to meet supermarket quality requirements and maintain market access. Jose Peralta is the President of one co-operative, ASOBANU, in the Dominican Republic. Jose explains how Fairtrade has helped small farmers meet tough European supermarket rules for selling bananas. Jose says, “T he most important thing for us to remain in the market. The requirements are many, and we are complying with them. These requirements come from overseas, and we have to comply in order to survive and so that our bananas can continue to be exported. Thanks to the Fairtrade premium, we have been able to improve the quality of our fruit, for example we have repaired many farmers’ packing houses and lots of other improvements. In my life, you know, I never thought that an organisation so important as Fairtrade could exist. For us small producers, we are very committed to Fairtrade, we hope it will continue making progress, it is our means of survival here in the Dominican Republic. We see Fairtrade as being part of a big family – Fairtrade is something we should treasure and protect.” NB Watch the short video about Fairtrade bananas in the Dominican Republic on www.fairtrade.org.uk This is not an isolated case. Small farmers are often at a disadvantage in international trade, having to compete with large mechanised or industrial farms. Fairtrade encourages more direct, long-term, and stable relationships between farmers and traders. This leads to stronger producer organisations that are often more cost effective, sustainable and able to produce higher quality products. Optional Focus on Trade Justice Bananas have been the mainstay of the economy in the Windward Islands in the Caribbean, where farmers have faced similar struggles to those in the Dominican Republic. Britain had been favouring bananas from the Windward Islands when importing because of their historical relationship with them. International trade rules have dictated that this preferential treatment must stop. Producers now must compete with producers in Latin America and Africa that produce bananas at a lower cost largely as a result of higher chemical usage and lower wages and social benefits for workers. Banana farmers of the Windward Islands who produce bananas in a more socially and environmentally friendly manner, have therefore lost market share and at worst, have gone out of business. Fairtrade has offered a new, niche market for these farmers and has revived the banana industry.
- Slide Eight: More More More! Aim This slide demonstrates that to increase the benefits to producers across the developing world, we need Fairtrade to grow in four different ways in the UK. It all depends on the number of people choosing Fairtrade products, the range of products available, the places where they can be found, and the regularity of purchase. Key Points In order for us to enable this change in the developing world – both immediate and long-term – more people need to buy more products in more places, and to choose Fairtrade more often when they shop. This has been happening! By August 2007, 57% of the British public recognised the FAIRTRADE Mark, and nearly all of them understood it as giving producers in developing countries a better deal from trade. Meanwhile, 34% of households in the UK now regularly buy Fairtrade products (NB These are 2007 figures and ‘Regularly’ is defined as ‘monthly or more often’) In short, more people know about Fairtrade, and more people are buying the products.
- Slide Nine: More Products Aim This slide aims to show the huge range of products that are now available. Key Points This slide shows the new products which have been launched recently, including Fairtrade Nuts from Liberation!, Divine’s Fairtrade Mint Chocolate, Debenham’s range of menswear called FiveG (Steve Redgrave’s line), Fairtrade Peanut butter, Fairtrade Cola from Ubuntu, cheese made with Fairtrade mango & honey and Sainsbury’s switch to Fairtrade Red Label tea and Sainsbury’s own brand sugar. The good news is that there’s a growing range of Fairtrade products to choose from. There are currently over 3,000 products carrying the FAIRTRADE Mark. Most people associate Fairtrade with coffee, tea, chocolate and bananas. But there are lots more exciting products – from footballs to flowers; from cotton buds to cotton pants; from cinnamon sticks to vanilla ice cream; from pineapples to honey; from orange juice to wine; from brazil nuts to rice. Possible Questions Which products can you name? Can anyone guess how many different Fairtrade products are currently available? You could also do a true and false list of products that are currently available. Visit our website for an up to date list – or get people to look at the list on the back of the current Fairtrade general leaflet.
- Slide Ten: Producers Benefiting from Fairtrade Aim This slide aims to show the increase in the number of producers benefiting from Fairtrade. Take time to talk through and explain this graph. Key Points This wide range of products and their increased availability in both large supermarkets and smaller independent stores, at home, at work and at restaurants means that people can buy more products in more places more often. This huge growth of Fairtrade – sales have been increasing at 40 to 50% per year for the past five years means that more and more producer groups can benefit. This chart shows the increase in the number of producer groups selling to the UK alone between May 2005 and May 2007 – from less than 200 groups to nearly 400. (In fact, globally there are more than 632 producer organisations now selling into Fairtrade markets.) That’s great news – because it means that as well as the 1.4 million people that these 632 produce groups directly represent, Fairtrade is also supporting them in bringing about wider change in their communities, benefiting many more. This means that more than 7 million people – producers, workers and their families - are benefiting from Fairtrade. But it’s still not enough. Many of the Fairtrade certified farmers’ groups are only selling a small proportion of their total crop on Fairtrade terms. Remember Mabale Tea Growers, who built the road? They’re only selling about 3% of their tea as Fairtrade. Gerardo’s coffee co-operative in Costa Rica is only selling 30% of their coffee to Fairtrade markets. Just imagine the difference they could make to the lives of farmers and the wider community if they could sell more. They need more company buyers. That means more companies need more customers to demand Fairtrade products. Fairtrade is growing – but there are still millions of farmers, workers and their families it hasn’t been able to reach. In short, this is just the beginning. There is still a lot of change needed – and we need more people to choose Fairtrade. Possible Questions Think of the products you have seen or bought. What countries are involved? Can you find them on a map of the world?
- Slide Eleven: Role of Campaigners Aim This slide aims to demonstrate the role of campaigners in the growth of Fairtrade and our potential for taking it further. Key Points There is so much we can do to bring about change. And we have a lot of power – just think, a few years ago, ethical consumerism was seen as something that only dedicated campaigners were interested in, not ordinary people. Some said that Fairtrade – the idea of buying at a fair price, not the cheapest price - would never catch on. They were wrong. Every day, more and more people of all ages and backgrounds are getting involved, and the Fairtrade movement is growing from strength to strength. And at the heart of this movement – not global advertising agencies with multi-million pound budgets – but ordinary people, like you and me, just doing our bit, spreading the word where we can – our families, our friends, our workplaces, our schools and faith communities. Organising events and talks, just like this one. Students are uniting with their lecturers and catering staff to get their universities to switch to using Fairtrade products – 70 universities have now been awarded Fairtrade status. People are getting their churches and more recently, synagogues and mosques to switch to Fairtrade – there are now over 4,000 churches and 37 synagogues. So many young people have been turning their schools – and their teachers and governors - to Fairtrade that there is now a new Fairtrade Schools initiative coordinated nationally, with over 1000 schools registered as working towards Fairtrade Schools status! And more people are getting their workplaces to switch to Fairtrade tea, coffee, sugar, juice, from their vending machines to their corporate hospitality. And people have successfully campaigned for 320 communities (villages, towns, boroughs, cities, islands, counties, zones) to be awarded as Fairtrade Towns (NB we expect by the end of Fairtrade Fortnight 2008 that this will have grown even further!) It is largely because of this campaigning that companies large and small are sitting up and taking notice! Key Questions How did you first hear about Fairtrade? Have you organised, attended or seen a Fairtrade activity in your area? What was it?
- Slide Twelve: Fairtrade Fortnight: Change Today Choose Fairtrade Aim This slide aims to demonstrate the messages of this Fairtrade Fortnight. Key Points This Fairtrade Fortnight and throughout 2008 we want to demonstrate how closely linked consumers are to producers and to encourage people to think about the products they buy and who is producing them. Every product has a story – whichever product you choose, you know that with Fairtrade, the producers can change their lives for the better as a result. Every product has an action – why not try a new one today?
- Slide Thirteen: Get Involved this Fairtrade Fortnight Aim This slide aims to show how everyone can get involved in Fortnight in different ways. Key Points There are so many ways you can stay involved Why not make your voice heard by sending our Trade Justice postcard to Gordon Brown asking the government to work hard to make trade fairer for poor countries. To make even more of a difference, you can ask friends, family and contacts to sign too and send them off in a bundle. You can order postcards free from our website www.fairtrade.org.uk Organise a film screening for your community – you can show Black Gold, to help viewers understand the inequalities of global trade, or you can download short films from our website. For more information about holding film screening, order or view the Fairtrade Action Guide on the Fairtrade Foundation website. You could hold a Fairtrade event in your community – during Fairtrade Fortnight, or after! This could be anything from a coffee morning to a stall in a supermarket, from a football game to a fashion show with Fairtrade cotton clothing, from an art display to a Fairtrade Fiesta with FAIRTRADE Mark bunting, stickers and balloons! You might even decide to run a workshop or presentation to let other people know about Fairtrade as I am doing now. Again order the Fairtrade Action Guide for lots more ideas You could encourage your workplace to switch to Fairtrade. There is a Fairtrade at Work campaign where workplaces can choose to use Fairtrade products in their canteen or vending machines or staff kitchen. For workplaces big and small, visit www.fairtradeatwork.org.uk Is your local church, school, or community Fairtrade? You could join – or start – a local group to campaign for your faith group or town to become Fairtrade. You could organise a Fairtrade Book event, making the most of 2 new books which have been launched recently… (this refers to the next slide) Possible Questions What are some of the ways that you can encourage people to choose Fairtrade? Note: It is great to ask this question and write down peoples’ answers using a flipchart and marker. People will be more likely to become involved when they come up with ideas themselves. To help get them started, you could use a few of the examples in the Key Points section. Optional Trade Justice Focus Fairtrade demonstrates that it is possible for trade to work for everyone involved. However right now, the rules of international trade are biased in favour of rich countries and powerful companies. You can join other Fairtrade campaigners putting pressure upon our leaders to make a change in trade rules and to make trade work in favour of poor people and the environment. The Trade Justice Movement is a coalition of member organisations (e.g. Oxfam, CAFOD, Christian Aid, People & Planet) working together on campaigns and events to do just this. If you would like to learn more about the Trade Justice Movement, visit www.tjm.org.uk.
- Slide Fourteen: Get Involved this Fairtrade Fortnight Aim This slide presents the two new books that were launched in February 2008 and outlines actions that campaigners can take to tie in with them. Key Points Fighting the Banana Wars and Other Fairtrade Battles was written by Harriet Lamb, the Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation. The book takes you on a journey to explore an often unjust system to uncover the shocking cost of our demand for cheaper produce, to meet producers and farmers to explore the devastating effects of free trade on their lives, to see how Fairtrade can quite literally transform their lives, and how UK consumers and campaigners have transformed Fairtrade into a phenomenon of our time and are transforming the lives of over 7 million farmers, workers and their families. Reading this book will capture the heart of sceptics, educate those already interested and motivate campaigners to do more. You can ask your local bookshop to promote this book, discuss it in a book group if you are part of one, or organise to give a talk about Fairtrade in your local library during Fairtrade Fortnight. Remember to encourage bookshops and libraries to use Fairtrade products and put up posters promoting Fairtrade. If you order more than 10 books, you can purchase them at a 30% discount – see the Fairtrade Action Guide 2008 for details. The Fairtrade Everyday Cookbook is the result of a competition which took place during Fairtrade Fortnight 2007 where people sent in recipes using Fairtrade ingredients. All the recipes were taste tested and judged by a panel including the award winning cookery writer Sophie Grigson. It also contains recipes from celebrities and producers. You can organise all sorts of events using the recipe book, such as running a Cooking Competition using Fairtrade ingredients in your local school, church or workplace, and the prize could be the cookbook! For other ideas and books about fair trade check out the Fairtrade Action Guide!
- Slide Twenty THE DATES FOR FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT 2008 ARE 25th February to 9th March ! Find out about more events in your area by visiting the Fairtrade Foundation events calendar on their website. Aims To end the presentation, and encourage people to stay involved Key Points You hope that you will have inspired people about Fairtrade, and the way in which we can all make a difference by the small choices we make Encourage people to stay involved: Register as a Fairtrade Church by filling in an application form which is available on our website. Order the Church Action Guide for ideas of activities they can organise within their own community. They can find out much more about Fairtrade on the website - www.fairtrade.org.uk People can sign up for the Fairtrade Foundation’s newsletters online. Let people know about any campaigning networks or other events going on Finish by thanking everyone for their attention