First Annual FairTrade Festival

Join us at UWA on the 11th of May

Whats so 'Fair' about FairTrade?

While we all can recognize and identify with ideals behind the Fairtrade mark, how is it really helping make the world we live in a better place for everyone?

The Guide to Fairtrade 2013 by Blue and Green Tomorrow, includes polarizing answers to the question.

Read the articles; 'Fairtrade is a unique model for change' by Martine Parry and equally thought provoking article 'FairTade cannot change the existing trade regime.' by Dr Sushil Mohan.

University of Western Australia becomes WA's first Fair Trade University.

Photo Credits: http://www.fta.org.au

The University of Western Australia (UWA) has been recognised as a Fair Trade University by the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand. This endorsement recognises the university’s commitment to Fair Trade, a system based on international principles that ensure that more vulnerable small producers and farmers get better terms of trade. It is a powerful alternative to the dominant free trade system which ignores the smaller, vulnerable traders of the world.

Read the rest of this article here.

Keeping empowerment at the heart of Fairtrade

Photo credit: www.fairtrade.com.au

The global movement for fairer trade and ethical consumption continues to grow despite the global economic challenge of recessions. No question there is a long way to go, but it would be foolish to try and write this movement off as a fad or as ‘niche’, as so many have tried to do. In my eyes it is the fair trade movement that leads the way here. Fair trade is about much more than just being ethical in our purchases, simply making sure that the goods we purchase are not produced under unethical conditions. Fair trade, including Fairtrade Certification, brings to this the idea of empowerment. Empowering farmers, workers and artisans in the developing world through trading relationships aimed at improving their lives and that of their communities, while also empowering consumers and businesses to use their resources to support real change.

Daniel Mackey writes about the ideals that Fair trade was built upon and the recent developments in the Fair Trade universe. Click here to read the full article from Fair Trade Australia New Zealand blog.

App that rates companies' based on their labour and production policies while you shop.

Image: Not For Sale Campaign Blog

The Free2Work mobile application, available on iPhone and Android, equips you with valuable information on companies’ labor standards and production practices at the moment you most need it- while you shop. Free2Work is the first and only app available that allows consumers to scan the barcode of an item and instantly gain access to information on the brand's efforts to prevent child and forced labor. As a consumer, you can use this information to understand what labor practices you may be supporting with your purchases, and to guide your consumption habits toward decisions that positively affect supply chain workers.

Find out more.

Comedians share some laughs with Fairtrade coffee growers in Papua New Guinea

Michèle A’Court, comedian from New Zeland, writes about her trip to Papua New Guinea and Fairtrade.

Photo: www.fairtrade.com.au

For many years, I’ve been an ideological supporter of the Fairtrade concept – it has always made tremendous sense to me that the person who creates the work should get a fair share of the money that is made from it so they can make a decent living.

It’s something I care about probably because of my own experience as a worker. As a comedian, I try to arrange things so that middle-men (producers, promoters, advertisers, venue owners) don’t take such a huge share of a show’s ticket price that I only end up with a tiny part of what an audience member was prepared to pay to see my work.