How does Fair Trade support climate action?
- Fair Trade standards encourage sustainable practices. The standards required to label a product as fair trade require co-operatives and organisations to take steps to reduce the environmental impact of their activities, protect biodiversity, minimise the use of hazardous substances and, when relevant, work towards organic certification
- Fair Trade ensures that farmers and workers get more money for their crops and work. Food producers in low income countries have contributed least to the climate crisis but are often more prone to climate-related disasters. Fairer pay helps them adapt to the climate crisis (e,g, put money aside for when crops fail or diversify their crops) as well as respond to the impacts of volatilities in international markets
- Fair Trade is a global movement of people who recognise that farmers and workers in developing countries have done little to contribute to the climate crisis but are suffering some of its worst effects
- That's why the Fair Trade movement is aligning with the UK-wide Climate Coalition and Stop Climate Chaos in Scotland to call on governments to change the way we do business to protect our planet whilst mitigating the effects on the world's most vulnerable people
- Empowerment and democracy are at the heart of Fair Trade. Fair Trade works closely with farmers and workers to give them a platform to share their experiences and lets us work together for change
To find out what Dundee Fair Trade Forum does to support fair trade locally, and how you can get involved, visit the Fair Trade Forum's Facebook page.