Have a Fair Christmas

Several years ago I went shopping in Guildford with my mum. We were there very early as my dad had dropped us off on his way to work. Desperate for caffeine we popped into Starbucks as it appeared to be the only place open. I ordered a Fairtrade tea. I was pretty sure that I had bought one from a Starbucks before. Obviously I hadn't because the girl at the till looked thoroughly confused. She made my mum's coffee, looked through the various boxes of tea on the shelf, shrugged and finally went to ask her colleague at the other end of the counter. Her colleague looked up frowning and said, "No, we don't do Fairtrade tea. It's just a brand anyway." Then she looked at me as if to say, "If you don't like it then go somewhere else, you student hippy!" I opted for coffee, because bizarrely they were serving Fairtrade coffee at this time. Coffee makes me ill, but in a bid to be ethical (or more because at this point I was determined to have Fairtrade) I drank it anyway.

What made me most angry was the dismissal of 'Fairtrade' as a brand. The description given by the Fairtrade Foundation explains it very clearly:

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 sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives. 
(What is Fairtrade? Response by the Fairtrade Foundation).

That, my friends, is more than a brand.

I don't remember exactly when I first heard about Fairtrade but it must have been towards the end of sixth-form college. There used to be a little stall once a month after church that sold Fairtrade products. The most I knew was that you could get chocolate, tea and coffee and some fruit from companies that paid a fair price to farmers, mainly in poorer parts of the world.

Once I started university I began to investigate more and was delighted to discover that there were more Fairtrade products available, notably pretty jewellery. I began to care a great deal about the issues surrounding Fairtrade, so in my third year I helped run a social justice pressure group, resourced by the organisation Speak. Sadly, not many people joined. I began to realise that Fairtrade was a huge passion of mine, but persuading others that it was important was actually very difficult. I remember having a debate with a couple of friends as we walked along London's South Bank. One of them said that Fairtrade didn't make that much difference anyway, and even if it did there weren't that many products available. Fairtrade could never truly pierce the mainstream market and break in. I said they were wrong. Starting small works.

I am pleased to say, and so are my friends, that I was right in the end! In the UK Fairtrade has really made its mark over the past few years. There really is a whole plethora of products available in many industries - food, clothing, toys, furniture, household goods, flowers. Some towns have become 'Fairtrade' towns due to the number of shops that sell Fairtrade products. In my final year of my BA my university had also been awarded Fairtrade status for serving FT drinks in all the cafes (and yes that included tea!), products in the college shop, and using FT cotton to make all the sports teams' kits, as well as using FT rugby and footballs!

It's great that in reality there is no shortage of Fairtrade products available now. However, there is still a long way to go. That's why Fairtrade is the Christmas Campaign for the Social Justice & Advocacy group that I am part of at church. The group launches a new campaign about three times a year on issues that require action. We encourage people to get interested in these worldwide concerns, to sign petitions, to write to their MPs, MEPs, or members of the Cabinet, to spread the word to others, to actively participate in the campaigns, and to pray.
My friend who leads the group has become an official seller for Created, run by the Christian charity Tearfund. This means that in the run-up to Christmas we are hosting a stall at the end of church services, selling their products and taking orders for more, as well as raising awareness of why Fairtrade is important, and particularly for us as Christians.

You people crush those in need and wipe out the poor.

You say to yourselves, “How much longer before the end of the New Moon Festival?

When will the Sabbath be over? Our wheat is ready, and we want to sell it now.

We can't wait to cheat and charge high prices for the grain we sell. We will use dishonest scales and mix dust in the grain.

Those who are needy and poor don't have any money. We will make them our slaves for the price of a pair of sandals.”

Amos 8:4-6 – the passage we are using to underpin our campaign.

It is really important to consider where what we buy comes from and how it is made and by whom. It is so easy to bury our heads in the sand. What we buy directly impacts on the lives of others. There are plenty of other things to consider when we purchase, like the effects on climate change, animal cruelty, supporting local traders etc. These are all important to me too, but my main passion remains Fairtrade.

We are fortunate to live in a town where Fairtrade is already well supported, and where members of our community are already well informed. Nevertheless we know there is more work to be done. It would be easy to become complacent now that there are a wider range of products available. It excited me that we could put so many Fairtrade items on our wedding list that a few years ago wouldn't have been possible. It excites me now that I can buy beautiful gifts that come at a fair price for my friends and family, and lovely clothes for myself. But I know that it is still not enough. Until all things available to us are purchased through a Fairtrade system, then the campaign must continue.