Products

From 2020, all cocoa used in Waitrose & Partners confectionery products is sourced on Fairtrade terms.
Chocolate is a staple of many of our shopping baskets, however despite its popularity, income is low for many of the world’s cocoa farmers. Ninety percent of the world’s cocoa is grown on small family farms where income often fails to keep up with the rising costs of production. Many families in cocoa producing countries across West Africa and Latin America often struggle to access essentials like healthcare, food and education.

Fairtrade works to improve livelihoods by ensuring farmers receive a minimum price which covers their production costs, as well as an additional Premium to invest in their communities. Fairtrade supports cocoa co-operatives like CONACADO in the Dominican Republic. CONACADO is a co-operative representing nearly 10,000 smallholder cocoa farmers. Fairtrade has enabled farmers to participate in a diverse range of projects that contribute to both community, personal and economic development.

A Guide to Ethical and Conflict-Free Jewellery

https://www.77diamonds.com/engagement-rings/ethical-jewellery/introduction

This guide offers lots of helpful information such as:

• A good introduction to ethical jewellery and conflict-free production practices to educate and help raise awareness on the importance of responsible and conscious consumer choices.
• The impact of conflict minerals and how ‘conflict diamonds’ fuel violence, widespread corruption, and use of child labour. How unethical mining practices contribute to the destruction of the local environment and the plight of mining communities world-wide.
• Useful tips and advice on finding and buying jewellery from ethically sourced and transparent supply chains. For example, buyers can consult The Responsible Jewellery Council’s website to find suppliers that comply with the best business standards when it comes to ethical production.
• Other resources and information to help you make greener and more conscious choices when it comes to jewellery and other precious minerals.

New range just in to supplement the long-standing offering from Fair Trade pioneer TRAIDCRAFT…

http://www.traidcraftshop.co.uk/fashion

Not only will you enjoy beautiful wines, you’ll also support Fairtrade farmers and workers in developing countries to get a better, fairer deal for their labours.

Dec 2019 Fairtrade Wines. A selection available in Guernsey.

Zebra View Sauvignon Blanc from M&S
Zebra View Cabernet Sauvignon from M&S
Dolphin Bay Merlot from M&S
Fairtrade Shiraz from Co-op
Fish Hock from Morrisons
W.O. Stellenbosch Pinotage from Waitrose

These are just a small selection of the Fairtrade wines available here in Guernsey.
Fairtrade is a simple way of fighting the unfairness that keeps millions of farmers in poverty.
So, this Christmas make sure your celebrations are shared with others.

For the first time UK coffee drinkers will be able to enjoy Fairtrade coffee from the Indonesian island of Java, launched exclusively at Waitrose.

This now means that all of the own-brand coffee sold in Waitrose is 100% Fairtrade.

This news comes as the market price for coffee remains below the Fairtrade Minimum Price, and this new deal will ensure around 150 coffee farmers in the region receive this safety net covering the cost of their coffee production and can develop their farms, and communities with the Fairtrade Premium.

Coffee is the world’s second most traded commodity after oil. The global coffee business is worth over US$200 billion a year.

https://e-activist.com/ea-action/enclick?ea.url.id=4159202&clid=1904&ea.campaigner.email=PStCumxtz5et2vNKHzLgv8lzuixeExa1&ea.campaigner.id=tLOcGkJ4Ut%2BZkArzVWMSmA==&ea_broadcast_target_id=0

Do you avoid products which contain palm oil? How much do you know about sustainable palm oil and how much it differs from regular palm oil? What is FairPalm? To clue yourself up, read on…

You’ll have heard a lot about palm oil on the news recently, but what is palm oil? Are palm oil products bad? And is it possible to buy sustainable palm oil products instead?

At 66 million tons annually, palm oil is the most commonly produced vegetable oil and can be found in almost half of our everyday purchases. Palm oil products are found in every corner of your home, and is hidden away in shampoo, toothpaste, lipstick, and candles as well as everyday foods such as bread, chocolate and instant noodles.

Much of the palm oil we consume every day isn’t sustainable. Big brands understand that people are trying to avoid palm oil, so it’s often hidden in lists of ingredients under different names such as ‘vegetable oil’, or ‘vegetable fat’. Oil palm plantations are developed in low lying, wet, tropical areas – where rainforests and peatland grow and endangered species such as orangutans and tigers live. Clearing for oil palm plantations is devastating for wildlife, habitats, people and climate change.

The good news is we don’t have to avoid all products with palm oil. Some companies source sustainable palm oil, made with respect for the environment and local communities.

Palm oil’s popularity in the manufacturing world is partly due to its high yield. Whilst sunflower oil yields 0.7 tonnes of oil per hectare (and other comparable oils result in similar figures), palm oil yields 3.8 tonnes of oil per hectare. So to acquire 1 tonne of oil, you’d need to farm far fewer palm trees and less land.*

There are areas in the world where palm trees are native, or where they’re farmed mixed cropping. These palm forests provide a home for local wildlife, and can continue to provide a major part of the economy for local people, lifting them out of poverty.

In 2013, Traidcraft joined with the Serendipalm co-operative in Ghana and Natural Habitats in Ecuador to produce Fairtrade, organic palm oil in a way that supports smallholder growers and allows the palm plants to grow naturally.

The palm plants are separated with cocoa trees and natural flora. Both Serendipalm and Natural Habitats are committed to fair trade and organic practices, and support the growers with agricultural training and health care. Neither group use any chemical nasties to increase production or reduce pests – they use organic methods and encourage the palm fruits to grow at their own pace.

Traidcraft called this new oil FairPalm, and used it for its eco-friendly cleaning products and its delicious fair trade biscuits.

Traidcraft mixed together FairPalm, Fairtrade coconut oil from India, and a bouquet of natural essential oils to create Clean & Fair, the world’s first Fairtrade cleaning range. Not only does every purchase of Clean & Fair ensure that growers are paid fairly, communities are given a Fairtrade premium to spend on local initiatives and conserving the environment.

So, are palm oil products bad? They definitely can be. But by buying sustainable palm oil products like that from Ghana and Ecuador, you can help the environment and people in local communities to flourish.

*Figures from European Palm Oil Alliance, 2016

https://www.traidcraftshop.co.uk/blogpost/are-palm-oil-products-bad-what-is-palm-oil-and-why-sustainable-palm-oil-from-ghana-and-ecuador-is-the-future-216-216.html?utm_campaign=1069611_Tuesday%2027-08-2019%20-%20MO%20OLD&utm_medium=email&utm_source=EDM&dm_i=4EDA,MXBF,238P6X,2OZ2O,1