Chocolate, coffee and a nice cup of tea are just some of the things we wouldn’t want to live without, so it’d be amazing if our essential items also helped make the world a better place.
Well the good news is….with a teeny bit of know how, they can! Keep reading to find out how to use your purchases to create a fairer world.
Here are a few reasons to take action.
Click for more info or scroll to read them all.
Buying a product with one of the certifications listed below means you’re demanding support for the people who produced it. Support that includes decent living and working conditions, fair terms of trade and for producers and their communities to have more control over their futures.
The average Brit will consume 7,560 chocolate bars in a lifetime.1 Let’s make these bars fair!
It’s not just people who benefit from most of these certifications, the planet does too! Your purchases will encourage environmentally sustainable agricultural practices, such as the development of nutrient-rich soils which support healthy plants.
As well as being sustainable,ethically certified items are often great quality because producers have access to the right training and equipment to enable them to, for example, grow a superior crop, or produce a high quality garment.
Better education = better quality goods!!
In September 2017, an historic agreement was signed by UN member nations agreeing to work towards 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development by 2030, otherwise known as the SDGs.
Achieving these ambitious goals will require action from governments, businesses, NGOs, and individuals alike. We can - and must - all play our part.
By making the 'Fair enough' pledge, you are contributing to the following SDG targets:
1.2: By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions
1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance
1.5: By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters
2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality
8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms
8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment
10.1: By 2030, progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average
12.8: By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature
When looking at the wider environmental impact of the products you’re buying, here are some other good labels to look out for:
Pledges
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CO2
pledged
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A really easy win, just change your buying habits and the hard work is done for you!
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I have positively tried to seek our Fair trade products when shopping, including those items that carry a Fair Wear label. More improvement required though.
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We've taken this further and have investigated other studio products to make sure we are buying the most sustainable and eco as we could. At home the same.
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It doesn't cost much more and all the bananas are already fair trade.
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It generated some good chat in the office initially and certainly 'nudged' awareness.
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I will definitely continue to buy these products where what I need is available
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I'm more alert when buying food or drinks etc, including my coffee, but found not always available in the shops I go to.
Background photo on "Quality" section copyright of Twin and Twin Trading, MCHINJI farmers, via Creative Commons. View original.