Traidcraft at St James the Less

Submitted by ironactonadmin on Sat, 27/09/2008 - 15:53.

Hello, my name is Denise Smith and I would like to tell you a little about Fairtrade. If you were like me, until recently I recognised the label but if I’m honest I was not really sure I understood completely what it represented.

After a bit of research I discovered that labelling fairly traded products has been happening for more than 40 years but it has only been relatively recently that the process has become more co-ordinated. The ‘Max Havellandaar Foundation’ in the Netherlands began labelling coffee fair-trade in 1988 a model which was repeated in several countries.

The Fairtrade Foundation was founded in 1992 as a not for profit organisation that licenses the use of the use of the Fairtrade Mark on behalf of the Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO), established to provide worldwide standards and certification. In 2002 FLO introduced a new International Fairtrade Certification Mark the purpose of which was to improve the visibility of products in retail outlets and help cross border trade and simplify exports. All of which resulted in the widespread use of the label that we now are becoming more familiar with.

If this is all a bit technical, what you as a consumer of Fairtrade goods should remember is that the Fairtrade Mark means:

  • Producers received a fair price for their goods
  • An extra premium is paid for investment in the community
  • Defined standards for the health, and the social and economic welfare of producers and for the protection of the environment are being met

The logo below is that of an organisation that was instrumental to the formation of the Fairtrade Foundation. Traidcraft is a Christian based organisation, set up to demonstrate that it was possible to run a company and trade ethically. Therefore unlike many other retail outlets all products sold by Traidcraft are fair trade and whenever possible, carry the Fairtrade Foundation mark.

 

So what does this mean for Iron Acton?

Earlier this year my daughter Bryony and I decided to run a Traidcraft Stall after the family service, at St. James the Less and other local events. This will enable residents of Iron Acton to enjoy the benefits of buying fairly traded goods on their doorstep. The shop will carry a range of food and craft goods and it will be possible to place orders for any of the goods featured in the catalogue. All the proceeds will be used to support a project that will benefit our parish

Your support would be very welcome. CONTACT:01454 228324