The Fair Trade movement has always recognised the importance of the environmental impact of humans’ activities. This is stressed in one of the 10 Fair Trade Principles by which WFTO makes sure that its member organisations are following environmental standards in their day to day work.

According to Principle Ten:

Organizations which produce Fair Trade products maximize the use of raw materials from sustainably managed sources in their ranges, buying locally when possible. They use production technologies that seek to reduce energy consumption and where possible use renewable energy technologies that minimize greenhouse gas emissions. They seek to minimize the impact of their waste stream on the environment. Fair Trade agricultural commodity producers minimize their environmental impacts, by using organic or low pesticide use production methods wherever possible.

Buyers and importers of Fair Trade products give priority to buying products made from raw materials that originate from sustainably managed sources, and have the least overall impact on the environment.

All organizations use recycled or easily biodegradable materials for packing to the extent possible, and goods are dispatched by sea wherever possible”.

Environmental issues and the consequences of climate change are, undoubtedly, one of the biggest challenges of our era.

Photo credit: peoplesclimate.org
Peoples Climate March in NYC – Photo credit: Robert van Waarden

The last 19th of August was Earth Overshoot Day, the day when humanity exhausted all the natural resources available for the year, in other words, humanity’s annual demand on the natural world has exceeded what the Earth can renew in a year since the 1970s (WWF).

In the last weeks, climate change has been in the spotlight. People’s Climate March and the UN Climate Summit 2014 caught citizens’ and politicians’ attention on the issue and raised the urgency for a call to action. It was the first time the world has seen such a large mobilisation for this important issue. Climate change is a global problem and regional measures are therefore not enough, what is needed are global solutions and fast actions before irreversible consequence can lead to catastrophic outcomes.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, developing countries are and will remain the most affected by the consequences that Climate Change has on our planet, experiencing, among others, severe droughts in drier areas, and stronger cyclones and unpredictable rains in tropical regions (The Guardian).

The last 10th of September during the seminar “Climate change & the post 2015 development framework: Developing country perspectives” organised by ODI and CDKN different actors participated in the debate. According to Andrew Scott, ODI’s Research Fellow in Climate and Environment, climate change is not only an environmental issue. Climate change and development are intrinsically linked. The actions that we take to address climate change are intimately connected with development processes, and the actions we take to achieve development objectives have impact on the actions we take to reach climate change goals. So far, most of the debate about climate change in the SDGs framework has taken place in Europe and North America. We need an opportunity for the debate to take place in developing countries and to get the perspective of developing countries into the debate.

 “It’s a fundamental injustice that the world’s poorest people are paying for a climate crisis that they didn’t cause” – ODI Executive Director Kevin Watkins on CNBC Africa: http://www.cnbcafrica.com/video/?bctid=3800438928001

Photo credit: Martin Michiels
Peoples Climate March in Brussels – Photo credit: Martin Michiels

Politics is not responding in the way we want and unfortunately people who maintain the power have impact on people who don’t have any. Politicians instead are still obsessed with economic growth, which seems not to be the right solution to the problem. This is why individuals taking responsibility is the first step towards a more sustainable world. Each citizen of the world can really make a difference, not only changing his/her daily habits into more environmentally friendly ones, but also campaigning, participating, and raising the voice to make themselves heard. Don’t wait tomorrow, start being active NOW!

“Anyone who believes exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world, is either a madman or an economist.”  (Kenneth Boulding, Economics professor)

The Good Country Index announced at the TED Salon in Berlin, measures how much each of 125 countries contributes to the planet.  With Ireland leading the table it turns out that all top ten countries are nations where a Fair Trade Town campaign is running. Is this a coincidence?

table

On 7 September however, Oudenaarde, Belgium declared as the 154th Fair Trade Town in Flanders making half of all Flemish municipalities a Fair Trade Town and Flanders the global leader for fair trade in terms of the proportion of the population covered. Out of a total of 308 municipalities 154 are now Fair Trade Towns with an additional 74 towns working towards gaining status. In Flanders over 4¼ million inhabitants now live in a Fair Trade Town. Does this make Flanders the Fairest of them all?

Photo credit: The Good Country Index

map

The Flemish campaign added a 6th goal to the original five founding goals which was aimed at promoting local and sustainable consumption.  Congratulations Flanders on this tremendous achievement and well done to all involved!

For further information contact Bruce Crowther the International Fair Trade Towns Ambassador at brucecrowther300@gmail.com

 

ftt

Bruce Crowther

International Fair Trade Towns Ambassador

The FIG Tree, Garstang, UK

 

?About us

facadeArtisans du Monde is a network of 150 Fairtrade shops in France which sell food and handicraft products.

This year, Artisans du Monde celebrates its 40 years’ anniversary. The organization defends a militant vision of Fairtrade interieur 4through the sale of Fairtrade products but also by educating young people to Fairtrade values and by leading advocacy actions to change the international trade rules.

The organization turnover was equal to €6,86 million (2013) and it employed 62 full-time equivalent employees. It works with various Fairtrade partners in the South: directly with 107 partners.

The main legitimacy of the organization comes from its very strong movement of volunteers, more than 6,000, all organized in a democratic way: they manage themselves the associative shops and participate to various actions and campaigns on fairtrade and economic justice issues.

Our position is to sell our products only in specialized and local shops and to not sell them in supermarkets.

? Educate young generation to Fairtrade

We organize awareness-raising actions in schools to involve and get engaged young generation in order to become better informed citizens about the working conditions and origin of the goods, the social and environmental impact of their consumption choice. We also intend to focus on the dysfunction of international trade, and to promote fairtrade principles as a way to build a fairer world.

? Our advocacy campaigns

We intend to mobilize citizens on different ethical issues and to join our mobilizations to make pressure on political decision makers. We defend positions regarding human rights, social, cultural and environmental issues. For example, as part of the larger ‘Vote4FT’ campaign, our main demands to the politicians was to support fairtrade of course, but also to put in place trade policies protective of human and workers’ rights.

? FAIRPRIDE : A carnival to promote Fairtrade

fair pride

 

Since 2010, Artisans du Monde organize each year in Paris, in collaboration with many Fairtrade organizations, a carnival with a streetDSC_0732

walking around with African and Latinos music bands as well as a food and handicraft market with organic, local and Fairtrade products. This event gathers a lot of people and promote Fairtrade values.

More info and the 2014 video: http://www.fairpride.fr/

 

More about Artisans du Monde

 

? Discover our online shop to buy 100% Fairtrade products

Since September 2010, any consumer can also buy Artisans du Monde products on our web platform which offer a range of 1000 references (food products and handicraft: jewelry, music instruments, toys, decoration and cosmetics).

www.boutique-artisans-du-monde.com

? WFTO Guarantee System

Fausta Mwinami KibenaThe Federation Artisans du Monde is a full member of WFTO-Europe since 2007.

We have a self-assessment system for our members since 1999. Since 2013, we try to implement the new Fairtrade retailer standards so that our world shops network could be guaranteed under the WFTO system.

We also implement and monitor the WFTO guarantee system for the 100 Fairtrade suppliers we work with under our brand “Artisans du Monde” (handicraft, food and cosmetic products). To do so, we rely on multiple systems: certifying schemes recognized by WFTO and our own Internal Monitoring System we implement through the EFTA monitoring system.

Name: Artisans du Monde

Head Office: Montreuil, France

Date of foundation: 1974

Website: http://www.artisansdumonde.

Photo credit: PFCE

CommerceEquitableThe French Fair Trade Platform will organize the next 11th & 12th of September in Paris its annual « Fair Trade Summer Universities ». The event is opened to French Fair Trade organizations, their partners, and public authorities. For this edition, the focus will lie on the concept of “social and ecological transition”, by training on the topic and discussing whether the Fair Trade movement feels part of this citizen’s movement, promoting social and ecological transition, and is planning to actively take part in it. In addition, two workshops will be organized: The first workshop will deal with communication issues and how our Fair Trade organizations can change consumers’ behavior by awareness-raising and promoting fair trade purchases. To achieve this, the workshop will help to identify the different category of consumers and their specific incentives and obstacles for switching to fair trade products. The second workshop will contribute to share partnership practices and experiences among the fair trade organizations: How to build a partnership with producer organizations from the South, how to promote the “empowerment” of Southern Partners and how to promote capacity building. Please read more about the event here.

 

Photo credit: Tuttounaltrocampo

Ferrara 2010 (1)Ferrara 28th sep.-6 th oct. 

Tuttounaltrocampo : one week international work camp in which young volunteers can experience a full immersion in the Italian fair trade world.

This year «Tuttounaltrocampo» will take place from September 28th to October 6th, along with the National Fair trade Fair «Tuttaunaltracosa» in Ferrara.

The aim of the International Youth Meeting/Camp is to provide young people with the opportunity to be trained on fair trade-related issues both from theoretical and practical point of view.
The youngsters arrive a few days before the running of the «Tuttaunaltracosa» Fair to participate in a short training course on fair trade-related topics. Then, during the fair, they have the chance to live it from inside by undertaking some practical tasks that contribute to its realization.
Please find attached the information sheet and the application form in English!

For further information, do not hesitate to contact us at:
segreteria@assobdm.it.

Tuttounaltrocampo info sheet

Tuttounaltrocampo application form

Reggio Emilia 2011 (1)Ferrara 3rd-5th oct. Tuttaunaltracosa, national fair trade fair (XXth edition):

Tuttaunaltracosa, from 1994 the national fair trade fair, this year will return to Ferrara, Piazza Ariostea, from Friday 3 to Sunday, October 5, together with the International Festival.

The exhibitors will be a hundred, and next to them the fair comes alive conferences, debates, exhibitions and performances.For an entire weekend, Ariostea Square will become the focus of the sustainable and inclusive economy.This year, special edition, with international guests.

idea poster CTB

During the Belgian Fair Trade Week (1st to the 11th of October 2014), WFTO-Europe will organise a debate where students and young people from Brussels together with Fair Trade national actors will be invited to discuss  the main challenges of Fair Trade and the way ahead. WFTO-Europe will organise this event in collaboration with Oxfam-en-Action, a group of young people engaged in Fair Trade, which benefits from a wide student network in Belgium. Other youth organisations and students from several universities will be invited to participate as well.

WFTO-Europe chose the students and young people as the target group due to their double roles in the society: as consumers and future Fair Trade ambassadors.

The main objectives of this debate are to deepen the knowledge on Fair Trade and to encourage people to be active and be Fair Trade promoters.

Fair trade on board JPEGIn order to do so, the debate will be divided in three different sessions. The first 30 minutes will be dedicated to a general presentation of the debate and the different national Fair Trade actors that will take part to it. Each of them will briefly introduce himself and his activity in his own country. They will also quickly introduce the working group they will lead during the second session, addressing questions raised by the students.

During this session, each FT actor will invite the students to deepen some specific topics in the respective discussion groups (at least 5). These topics will be previously identified through a consultation process amongst students and will be focused on the main challenges/criticisms of Fair Trade (how to promote FT in the current economic crisis in Europe, how to make trade rules and practices fairer, what is the impact of Fair Trade on producers,..). The FT actors will guide the students on the reflection and eventual elaboration of new ideas on how to face the issue. The discussions will be framed so as to identify solutions and, if possible, what Belgium-based young people could do. After twenty minutes, students will be asked to move to another group for a second round of discussion on a different topic.

Logo_CTB_JPEGThe debate will end with a wrap up session where one person from each group (a student or the FT actor) will be invited to share insights or other results from the conversations had in the working group with the rest of the people.

Few weeks after the debate, WFTO-Europe will launch a survey to receive the feedback of the participants and to evaluate the impact of the event.

To discover other activities of the Fair Trade Week, please go to the CTB website http://www.semaineducommerceequitable.be/fr/

If you want to take part in the debate and to contribute to the identification of the topics to be discussed, please fill this survey by the 7th of September.

If you have any problem, please contact: projects[at]wfto-europe.org  

Assobdm-rosso-trasparenteThe Worldshops Association has been acting in Italy since 1991 and is a network of 70 cooperatives and associations running about 200 worldshops. It is a point of reference for all the Italian worldshops, helping them to be not just shops, but cultural and political organizations.

Among its most relevant activities there are the organization and promotion of Tuttaunaltracosa, the Italian Fair Trade Fair, and Tuttounaltrocampo, an international youth education camp. Moreover, the Worldshops Association organizes Summer School on different fair trade topics, provides logistic services and facilities for members, fundraising and project management services (in collaboration with members and local partners). It also performs lobbying actions in Italian national and regional political councils, organizes seminars and meetings in collaboration with schools, universities and local authorities, takes part at national events/fairs on sustainable development, promotes awareness and boycott campaigns in national content (free water, clean clothes campaign, arms control) and promotes international campaigns for the World Fair Trade Day.

@Fair Trade International Youth CampThrough Facebook, twitter and its newsletter services, the Wordshops Association manages a fair trade community with thousands of friends sharing interests, thoughts and initiatives.

Tuttounaltrocampo is a uni­que expe­ri­ment, an inter­na­tio­nal work camp, an appren­ti­ce­ship group in a fair, a labo­ra­tory of ideas and friend­ships. It’s inspi­red from the original prin­ci­ples of Fair Trade and aims to share the vision of today and the pro­jects of the future in an envi­ron­ment without natio­nal borders.

Tuttaunaltracosa is the fair trade caravan that every year leads workshops, fair trade centrals, craftsmen from the southern hemisphere and volunteers from all over Italy to an happening in a new town.

From the first edition in 1994, Tuttaunaltracosa has toured many Italian cities (Milan, Genoa, Modena, Ferrara, Lecce, Naples, Reggio Emilia, Arezzo and so on). In the last years, it had averaged 40,000 visitors in three days, over 100 exhibitors from all over Italy. Since 2007 the national fair of fair trade is under the High Patronage of the Italian President of the Republic.

fieraThis year marks the the 20th anniversary of Tuttaunaltracosa! We’re going to celebrate this special edition in Ferrara between October 3rd and October 5th, in partnership with the “Internazionale” festival of journalism. Waiting for you too!

Follow us on Facebook page “ass. Botteghe del mondo Italia” and visit our websites

www.assobdm.it

www.tuttaunaltracosa.it

Name: Associazione Botteghe del Mondo

Head office: Reggio Emilia

Year of foundation: 1991

Website: www.assobdm.it

logo COPADE AltaCOPADE has been working on international development through Fair Trade and the sustainable consumption of timber products. With our projects we support Southern producers, their families, and communities in order to help them to come out of poverty and improve their living conditions.

We are specialized in the forest sector creating public-private alliances to position timber products and their derivatives in Northern markets. We are pioneers in Spain in implementing development projects in partnership with large Spanish and multinational companies like Leroy Merlin, Bellota Herramientas (Bellota Tools), Federación Española de Industrias de la Madera (Spanish Timber Industrial Federation), etc… We have developed the first worldwide label of Fair Trade in the forestry sector: Fair Timber (Madera Justa).

DSCN1585In COPADE we believe in people and their socioeconomic development. This is why we always involve the producers in all the process of our projects: from its theoretical foundations to its implementation.

COPADE understands Fair Trade and sustainable forest development as the main pillars for development, environmental preservation and improvement of living conditions in Southern communities. This can change trade rules into a new form of trade more human oriented and with more opportunities for everyone.

Further information:

www.copade.es

www.maderajusta.org

bhctrafts logoFrom humanitarian to successful business project
BHcrafts is the title of the project which unites creative, humanitarian, business and psychotherapeutic characteristics in a highly balanced and outstandingly successful manner.It is the project of production of handmade clothing and decorative items, which involves women from Bosnia and Herzegovina.Non governmental humanitarian organization Norwegian People’s Aid has started this project in 1995. In the beginning, the project has had prominently humanitarian character, and today, it has developed into a successful and export-oriented business, which is still successfully developing. The result of that development is the enterprise BHcrafts, which is in charge of promoting and selling Bosnian handicrafts in country and abroad.

Me on the fieldtripThe way one humanitarian idea developed into a successful business project
BHcrafts is, in every respect, outstanding and successful project. Women, among whom are many of those whose husbands, children, brothers and fathers were killed in the last war, are enabled to integrate into normal way of life again, in the best possible way by means of creativity and personal engagement. All relevant researches has proved that it is the best and the most effective way to confront the war traumas and to eliminate their consequences. Within our program women of different ethnic background from both of the B&H entities were given a chance to forget their difficult past, through a lot of work, care and subtle socialization.

Graphic3Synthesis of skill and natural materials
Clothing and program for household, made in the BHcrafts, elicit undivided enthusiasm. The leading world media have written about attractiveness and quality of our handicraft products. Each product is unique, hand-made in traditional techniques of knitting, crocheting and weaving, which have made BHcrafts products recognizable and appreciated. These products, regardless of whether they are clothing items, table cloths or carpets, cannot be the subject of mass production. The products are handmade, with devotion and persistence, without the use of machines. Most of the products are made of chemically untreated wool and cotton, in the process which obeys the strict ecological standards.

Ecology, business, self-consciousness
Graphic1The products of the BHcrafts are made with use of domestic raw materials, thus supporting the economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is the ecologically conscientious project, which does not pollute the environment in not a single stage of production (paper bags, cardboard boxes, looms for weaving). The project promotes Bosnia and Herzegovina in an attractive and original manner by export of the high-quality products. Our products are mixture of traditional and modern achievements of design, which is the combination that ensures a successful existence at the demanding world market.

Graphic6Social responsibility and fair trade
Bhcrafts is the first recognized, and awarded, social entrepreneurship from Balkans (The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship in 2002), as well as the first certified fair trade producer, and still the only one in BiH ( International Fair Trade Association – IFAT in 2009) and the winner, in the category “URBAN& REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT”, of Sustainable Entrepreneurship Award – SEA, in 2013. As the pioneer in both categories, BHcrafts has kept promoting Fair Trade principles and Socially Responsible Business ever since then.

IMG_1433
 
 
 
 
Name: BHcrafts
Head Office: Tuzla, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Year of Foundation: 1995
Website: www.bhcrafts.org

 

 

 

 

Member of the Month

EL PUENTE

LOGO EL PUENTE Aug 17

The Company

El Puente is among the pioneers of the fair trade movement and is today the third largest fair trade organization in Germany. Already since 1972, El Puente has stood as a bridge between north and south, and has worked with small businesses and cooperatives in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The work of El Puente is not profit-orientated. Through the import and distribution of fair trade products, the organization supports more than 140 trade partners in 40 different countries. The range of products consists of around 5,000 handicraft and food articles. Thus, the assortment ranges from jewelry and bags, to tableware and decorative pieces, right up to coffee, chocolate and spices. As a wholesale trader El Puente sells the goods to about 800 fair trade shops in Germany and in some neighboring countries.

 

Organization Structure

The organization structure of El Puente is pretty unique because of the so called “Partner Committee” (PaCo) which offers the producer organizations the opportunity to be an equal co-owner of the company. Moreover, El Puente has a special body which controls the activities of El Puente independently: New trade partners, whose products shall be incorporated in El Puente’s assortment, need to be approved by this body, the so called PPA (“Projektpartnerausschuss”). Detailed questionnaires, completed by the partner organizations, serve as the main basis for the approval.

 

Local Activities

The city of Hildesheim in Northern Germany is the birthplace of El Puente. It continues to be the location for many activities, which are mainly initiated by the El Puente association. The only store in the ownership of the El Puente association by is located in the very centre of Hildesheim. There, El Puente offers products and carries out various activities and educational events. “With the development policy-related educational activities which are organized by many committed people on a voluntary basis, we make people more aware of Fair Trade”, Richard Bruns, founder of El Puente explains. Many of these activities are supported by the El Puente foundation which promotes educational work in developmental- and socio-political topics in Germany.

 

WFTO Guarantee System

El Puente is a WFTO member since 1997 and took part in the pilot project of the new WFTO Guarantee System in 2013. “The process of the WFTO-monitoring was extremely useful for us; we got very positive feedback for our work but also gained constructive criticism which helps us to improve,” Martin Moritz, manager of El Puente Ltd. says.

 

 Gebäude1

Name: El Puente
Head Office: Hildesheim, Germany
Date of foundation: 1972
Website: www.el-puente.de