FAQ's

What we all do in our daily lives has an impact on the world around us and in this country we are becoming increasingly aware of this. Recycling is becoming the norm, as is saving electricity by turning off unnecessary lights and equipment. Many of us spend a large proportion of our time at work and we need to think of the changes we can make there as well as at home.

Using Fairtrade certified products at work is a way of tackling global poverty every time we take a tea break. It means showing support for marginalised men and women who otherwise would be powerless to challenge unfair trading rules, poor working conditions and low wages. And the extra income which comes with Fairtrade sales might mean a new a well to provide clean drinking water, ending daily treks to a polluted stream. It can mean employing a secondary school teacher to allow children to continue their education. But Fairtrade isn’t about charity - it’s about allowing people to build their own future.

This depends on your supplier or supermarket and it depends on the product. Some may be more expensive because of the way they are marketed and manufactured while others may be cheaper than non-Fairtrade certified products for similar reasons. The farmers and workers who produce Fairtrade crops will be paid more, but this additional expense is sometimes swallowed up within the supply chain and not passed on to the public by wholesalers, importers or retailers. . Regardless of the price you pay as a consumer, the farmers and workers will always receive a fair price.

This can only be answered by tasting them. People often discover that they prefer Fairtrade to their normal brands. Why not run a ‘blind’ sampling session with a group of colleagues to find how often the Fairtrade option comes out a winner! And remember there are now so many different Fairtrade products available, if one coffee is not exactly to your taste another may well be.

Prepare as much information as possible for whoever makes purchasing decisions. Get a range of products for people to taste, from your supplier or local supermarket, together with their prices. Provide details of organisations which already supply Fairtrade to their workplaces including testimonials from their employees. Ordering our resources will give you confidence to talk about the benefits to farmers and workers of the Fairtrade market. Leaflets can be passed around or left in communal areas.

Try holding an event to explain about the benefits of Fairtrade, show the range of products and do some taste testing. After this, circulate a short questionnaire to ask whether staff would prefer to have only Fairtrade certified products available at work, or whether they would prefer to have a choice. Take the results to whoever at work is in charge of purchasing.

Many well known organisations offer Fairtrade at work, including Virgin, the Nationwide and Edinburgh Zoo. Businesses make the switch for different reasons – from wanting to be part of a worldwide movement fighting poverty, to a taste preference for a particular brand, to feeling that Fairtrade fits in with the ethos of their company. There is real commercial sense behind Fairtrade which should help colleagues see that Fairtrade is not about tree-hugging but about changing lives. For a less serious message, you can email your colleagues with our short viral video to show how Fairtrade can help bring passion into the workplace!

The Fairtrade Foundation gives towns, churches and universities Fairtrade status for increasing the availability and awareness of products which carry the FAIRTRADE Mark. Unfortunately we are not able to certify workplaces as Fairtrade. However, please do email us to see how your workplace can get involved with Fairtrade.