Listen: fairtrade fortnight

It is Fairtrade Fortnight (22nd February-7th March), two weeks in which thousands of individuals, companies and groups across the UK come together to share the stories of the people who grow our food and drinks, mine our gold and who grow the cotton in our clothes, people who are often exploited and underpaid.

Defined as “trade between companies in developed countries and producers in developing countries in which fair prices are paid to the producers”, fair trade is designed to help producers in growing countries achieve fair and equitable working relationships. Sadly, by one estimate, just 8% of trade in our certifiable commodities is fair. To make matters worse, only a quarter of shoppers actively choose Fairtrade products. This is largely driven by a lack of agreement when it comes to what constitutes as fair trade and a lack of understanding when it comes to the impacts of non-fair trade options.

Aston spoke to William Fugard, CEO at Gusto to discuss the research and the impacts of fairtrade in further detail.

Photo by Colin Watts on Unsplash