Five Fairtrade brand swaps

May 11th is World Fair Trade Day: a global celebration of Fair Trade’s contribution to the fight against poverty, exploitation, and climate change.

And there’s plenty to celebrate in the UK.

Since the first fairtrade-certified product (which incidentally was Green & Black’s organic ‘Maya Gold’ chocolate) hit supermarket shelves in 1994, the fairtrade movement has exploded.

Today, there are 6,000+ Fairtrade products available, covering everything from coffee and clothing to flowers and gold.

So, next time you’re shopping, look for the FAIRTRADE Mark before handing over your credit card.

Before we recommend some top Fairtrade brands, let’s look at a definition.

According to the Fairtrade Foundation, Fairtrade is “about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers around the world, but particularly in lower-income countries.” It continues, “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 producers from low-income countries. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives.”

So, that’s what it is. But how can you support it? By swapping your usual brands for Fairtrade ones.

Five of our favourite Fairtrade brands

1. Divine Chocolate

Craving something sweet? Choose Divine.

The tasty chocolate brand is co-owned by a British company and Kuapa Kokoo, a Ghanian cooperative made up of 85,000 farmers.

The farmers have a strong voice, and the brand has created a supply chain that shares value equitably.

As well as being Fairtrade-certified, the brand goes above and beyond with its range of social initiatives, such as its aim to empower female workers.

Considering Divine costs the same as many unethical brands, making this tasty swap is a no-brainer.

Grab a bar here.

2. Café Direct

If you like your coffee with two sugars and a dollop of ethicality, Cafédirect is a worthy swap.

The first Fairtrade hot drinks brand in the UK and a certified B-corp, the social enterprise does right by the producers it works with, by investing 50% of its profits to Producers Direct (a charity run by growers, for growers).

So far, the pot of money is full to the tune of £7.4m.

If that wasn’t enough, Cafédirect takes care of the planet. How? At least a third of their coffee is Soil Association Certified.

Grab a cup of joe here.

3. Boho Homes London

Since 2018, this online shop has been trying to make a difference with its unique range of handcrafted home goods and kitchenware.

The Fairtrade products are created by artisans from around the world, and the range includes everything from organic cotton mesh storage bags and eye-catching enamelled table settings to embroidered purses and handcrafted blankets.

Check it out here.

4. Arena flowers

Despite the cut flower industry providing jobs for hundreds of thousands of producers in low-income countries, it has a bad reputation.

In Columbia, for example, the workforce is predominantly made up of women, who work up to 100 hours per week on low wages and in poor conditions.

This is why it’s important to consider where your flowers come from.

Enter Arena Flowers.

The brand is not only Fairtrade certified; it also plants one tree in a country with high poverty levels for every bouquet sold.

And the prices of its hand-tied bouquets and letterbox flowers rivals those of its less-ethical counterparts.

Saying it with flowers? Buy your blooms here.

5. People Tree

This pioneering ethical fashion brand has stuck to its principles of fairly and sustainably made clothing for 30 years.

Next to each item listed on its site, the brand details where the garment was made and the positive impact sales have had.

Behind the scenes, the brand is working on a living wage analysis with the World Fair Trade Organization, as there’s no defined living wage in most of the countries it works with. However, the brand pays above the minimum wage.

Check out the collection here

Looking for an ethically-minded fundraiser? We can help. Give us a call on 0203 750 3111 or email info@bamboofundraising.co.uk to get started.