Category: Impact and Challenges

Fairtrade is celebrating 25 years of Fairtrade products in the UK. But what impact has this had on the lives of farming communities around the word?

“My message to consumers in the UK is please continue buying more Fairtrade tea so we can bring more development projects to our region” – Fairtrade tea producer

In Guatemala, indigenous people make up around 40% of the population, most of whom are of Mayan descent.

As summer arrives in the UK, inspiring gardeners and horticultural enthusiasts across the country, Fairtrade’s Flower Manager Anna Barker speaks to some of the Ethiopian workers who provide us with year round blooms.

More and more of us are expressing our values through our everyday shopping. We increasingly demand more information about what goes into our food and other purchases, where they come from and how they are made.

Over the last few years we’ve seen more people asking ‘Who Made My Clothes’ and with increased pressure from the consumer and civil society, it’s not a surprise that there is more investigation into the wages of garment workers in factories, and those who grow the raw products, like cotton. But has there been much action?

Only a tiny percentage of the money we pay for clothes ends up in the hands of those who made them. The fashion industry is notorious for exploiting it’s garment workers and cotton farmers who are often left invisible at the end of a long and complex supply chain.

Fairtrade sugar cane farmers tell us about the catastrophic damage caused by Cyclone Idai.

Recycling is now an issue of immense global importance as the world aims to minimise the negative impact of waste on the natural environment.

At Fairtrade, we continue to promote gender equality in sectors that have long been male dominated. In celebration of International Women’s Day, here are six ways Fairtrade is pressing for progress and empowering women: