Levi Strauss & Co goes fair trade in Argentina California-based jeans-giant Levi Strauss & Co will start to sell fairtrade T-shirts in its shops in Argentina from 2008 onwards. For 2009, Levi Strauss & Co foresees to extend this to its stores in Europe and the USA.
The T-shirts are the result of an integrated fair and sustainable textile production chain.
The cotton is harvested by small-scale marginalized farmers of the Toba ethnic group (Chaco-region in Northern Argentina) who are paid a fair price for their crop. Subsequently, the fairtrade cotton is transformed into tissue in the factory of Textiles Pigüé, a worker's cooperative in the South of Buenos Aires Province that was established by unemployed workers in the aftermath of the economic crisis of 2001. Finally women workers in local workshops in La Matanza (Greater Buenos Aires) do the sewing and finishing of the T-shirts for which they are paid a fair wage.
The fair and sustainable textile production chain was developed by Otro Mercado al Sur, an Argentinian fair trade organisation who continues to coordinate the initiative.
The Fair Trade Centre, together with Levi Strauss Foundation and CTM Altromercato have financed the start-up of the production chain.
Wales has become the first Fair Trade Nation WALES has become the world's first Fair Trade Nation. The country has demonstrated its commitment to trade that aims to provide more security, stability and justice for producers in the developing world.
All the cities in Wales are now registered Fairtrade cities (i.e. their councils must use Fairtrade products in meetings and buildings, awareness groups have to be set up to promote Fairtrade, and Fairtrade products must be easily available) and all the 22 Welsh counties have active Fairtrade groups. In addition, almost 400 schools have promised to use and promote fairly traded products. On June 7th 2008, a fairtrade conference and fair took place in Newport to celebrate Wales' achievements. Up to 30 fair trade producers from across the globe met Sustainability Minister Jane Davidson as well as activists and Welsh suppliers in the summit.
Another potential UK-record is in sight with the Fairtrade London Campaign working hard to make London the world's biggest Fairtradecity later this year.
Worldwide fairtrade sales up 47%Worldwide consumers spent over €2.3bn on Fairtrade certified products in 2007, a 47 per cent increase on the previous year, according to figures from Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO). FLO puts the growth of Fairtrade in 2007 down to an expansion in existing markets and the opening of new ones.
According to FLO, the value of sales in Fairtrade's biggest markets, the UK and US, grew by 72 per cent and 46 per cent respectively.
The fastest growing markets were Sweden and Norway with increases of 166 per cent and 110 per cent respectively. The highest per capita consumption in the world was in Switzerand where consumers spent an average of €20.8 on Fairtrade products in 2007.
New products were launched in different markets increasing consumers' choice.
Also companies in countries where there is no Fairtrade Labelling Initiative were able to sell products with the Fairtrade Certification Mark for the first time. "The development of new local markets is great news both for Fairtrade certified producers and for consumers in countries where Fairtrade still does not have a strong presence," said FLO.
Rob Cameron, CEO of FLO commented: "The phenomenal growth of Fairtrade demonstrates the groundswell of consumer support for Fairtrade. With global sales worth over 2.3bn euros Fairtrade has come of age."
Source: www.confectionerynews.com
Related article: "Fair Trade is growing and working" http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-fair-trade-is-growing-ndash-and-working-833599.html
eBay to unveil fair-trade marketplace Catering to a rising tide of socially-conscious shoppers, eBay this summer plans to help publicly launch WorldofGood.com, a marketplace for buying fair-trade products, according to Robert Chatwani, eBay's general manager of the project.
Chatwani helped conceive of the idea for the WorldofGood.com marketplace three years ago while traveling to India with fellow eBay employees. There, they found some sustainably made artisan products they believed would sell online, and could give some money back to the creator. They tested the idea and it worked. eBay teamed up with World of Good, a group designed to alleviate poverty in third worlds by helping sell local artists' goods globally.
Fair Kids for Kids Two Belgian organisations, Miel Maya Honing and Camera, have joined their efforts in a ground-breaking initiative. Fair Kids wants to offer children the opportunity to make animated films about the various aspects of Fair Trade. This wide international project will include children from Belgium, Burkina Faso, Brazil, Mexico, Quebec and Taiwan so that Southern as well as Northern points of view may be represented. Ultimately, twelve short films (3 minutes each) will be made using different animation techniques.
The films will be compiled on a DVD which will come with a teaching-aid book written by specialists of the subject and is especially meant for teachers, socio-educational youth workers and anyone intent on leading a debate on this subject with a young audience.
The films should be finalised by February 2009 and the DVD-books available as of May 2009.
Contact details: www.maya.be or info@camera-etc.be
Useful Guides for producer organisations The Fair Trade Centre has elaborated a list with toolkits and guides to assist producer organisations in developing their businesses. They vary from "how to write a businessplan" to software and assistance in value chain development, export planning and financial management. All publications can be downloaded free of charge.
Check them out here.
Sustainable TradeSustainable Tourism Stewardship Council to Launch in 2009 Rainforest Alliance Welcomes the United Nations Commitment to the Establishment of the Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council to Launch in 2009.
The creation of a Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council (STSC) moves a step closer to becoming a reality as a coalition of international organisations agree to establish a body that increases credibility around sustainable tourism certification programmes, and ultimately helps protect the environment, rights and livelihoods of local communities. The United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation and the United Nations Foundation are amongst the supporters of this initiative. As part of this joint scheme, they will work with the Rainforest Alliance, an international environment organisation, and other non-governmental organizations (NGO) and industry groups, to raise funds, recruit stakeholders and launch the STSC in early 2009. read more
Trade and Development OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook: 2008-2017This is the fourteenth edition of the Agricultural Outlook and the fourth time it has been prepared jointly by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). This edition covers the outlook for commodity markets during the 2008 to 2017 period, and brings together the commodity, policy and country expertise of both Organisations. The report analyses world market trends for the main agricultural products, as well as biofuels. It provides an assessment of agricultural market prospects for production, consumption, trade, stocks and prices of the included commodities. Read more
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