Fairtrade products are becoming more and more widely available and you may have heard of Fairtrade towns, whereby towns and villages have to meet certain criteria in order to be certified Fairtrade, as well as other similar schemes. Whilst Fairtrade at work is not an area which is officially certified by the Fairtrade Foundation, it is possible to get involved in Fairtrade at work, making a positive difference to the lives of producers around the world.
Fairtrade at work involves sourcing Fairtrade products where possible, usually refreshments such as tea, coffee and other catering supplies. The Fairtrade Foundation has a website dedicated to Fairtrade at work, which includes lots of useful information on making the switch to Fairtrade products including promotional material in order to promote Fairtrade to colleagues. Visit the Fairtrade at Work website for more details.
Fairtrade products are available from a wide range of sources, and you may well discover that your existing catering supplier also offers Fairtrade ranges. If there are a variety of products on offer, why not have a tasting day and get your colleagues to choose their favourite products? You could also think ‘outside the box’ in terms of introducing Fairtrade at work; you don’t just have to stick to Fairtrade refreshments. Why not look into Fairtrade stationery, for example?
Fairtrade products are sometimes, but not always, more expensive than regular products, so do shop around if this is of concern. By buying these products, however, you will be assuring producers a fair price for their produce, helping millions of people around the world.
