Fair Play To Dad On Father's Day

With Father’s Day just round the corner (June 18), now is the ideal opportunity to start checking out the latest products to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark that are sure to appeal to dads up and down the country.

What better way to show your appreciation than by giving him a Fairtrade football right in the middle of World Cup season! And to help fathers get into the football spirit following a kick-around, check out the range of sophisticated Fairtrade wines and cool Fairtrade beer. Alternatively, chocolates and coffee, or T-shirts made from Fairtrade certified cotton are guaranteed to make the grade - and there are plenty of brands to choose from.

Fairtrade offers a positive model of trade which is fairer and more sustainable for farmers and workers in developing countries and has the potential to transform communities. The system guarantees a better deal and the Fairtrade premium can be used for basic amenities such as clean water or for healthcare and education.

“I will finally be able to support my family thanks to the Fairtrade price we will get for our cotton,” says Laljibhai Narranbhai, a cotton farmer from Agrocel Pure & Fair Cotton Growers’ Association in India. “I have two sons and one daughter and for the first time I can think about sending my children to school without having to take out a loan. I did not go to school myself, but I want my children to get a good education and this will now happen because my income will increase through Fairtrade.”

The Fairtrade premium has been used to provide basic health insurance, a first for workers in the sportsball industry in Pakistan. Eighteen-year-old Sameena Nyaz works at a village stitching centre an hour from Sialkot where they stitch footballs for Talon Sports. She recently needed a thyroid operation which would normally be a source of real worry as medical care is very expensive. But her treatment was paid for by the healthcare scheme set up by the Welfare Society and funded by the Fairtrade premium.

The number of Fairtrade products available worldwide has rocketed from 850 in 2005 to over 1,500 today. For a full list of products that carry the FAIRTRADE Mark see www.fairtrade.org.uk

• Sportsballs:Buy Fairtrade footballs, rugby balls, indoor and beach volleyballs and basketballs made in Sialkot, Pakistan from Fair Deal Trading www.fairdealtrading.com , Oxfam shops and some Blackwells stores.
• Beers, wines and spirits:Choose from a growing selection of Fairtrade certified beer, wines and spirits. Wines are available from Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose as well as from select independent stores, wholesalers and online. For a comprehensive list of products see www.fairtrade.org.uk
• Cotton: Men’s clothes made from Fairtrade certified cotton are now available from the high street, independent retail outlets, catalogues and online stores. Look for ranges from Bishopston Trading, Epona, Gossypium, Hug, La Redoute, People Tree, Quantum Clothing, Traidcraft and Marks & Spencer. For more information see www.fairtrade.org.uk
• Coffee and chocolate: The Day Chocolate Company’s Dubble Chocolate Footballs www.divinechocolate.com or Cafedirect’s Kilimanjaro Mountain Special Ground Coffee and Organic Machu Picchu Mountain Special Fresh Ground Coffee www.cafedirect.co.uk both make great gifts. Fairtrade chocolate and coffee are also available from all major supermarkets, select independent stores, wholesalers and online.
  

For further information, phone 020 7440 7695 /7686 or mobile 07770 957 451, or email martine.julseth@fairtrade.org.uk or eileen.maybin@fairtrade.org.uk

Notes to Editors

1. The FAIRTRADE Mark is a certification mark and a registered trademark of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) of which the Fairtrade Foundation is the UK member. This independent consumer label appears on products as a guarantee that disadvantaged producers are getting a better deal. Today, more than five million people - farmers, workers and their families - across 58 developing countries benefit from the international Fairtrade system.
2. The range of Fairtrade products now includes coffee, tea, chocolate, cocoa, sugar, bananas, apples, pears, grapes, plums, lemons, oranges, satsumas, clementines, lychees, avocados, pineapples, mangoes, fruit juices, quinoa, peppers, green beans, coconut, dried fruit, rooibos tea, green tea, cakes and biscuits, honey, muesli, cereal bars, jams, chutney and sauces, herbs and spices, nuts and nut oil, wine, beer, rum, flowers, sports balls, rice, yoghurt, babyfood, sugar body scrub, cotton wool and cotton products.
   

The Fairtrade Foundation,
Room 204, 16 Baldwin’s Gardens,
London EC1N 7RJ.

Tel: 020 7405 5942
Fax: 020 7405 5943
Web: www.fairtrade.org.uk