Where can I buy Fairtrade products locally?

We have produced a directory of suppliers in the borough.

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How can I get involved in campaigning for Merton to become a Fairtrade Borough?

We need as much help as possible with this campaign. Please choose to buy Fairtrade products whenever they are available. Contact your local retailers to sell and serve a range of Fairtrade products. Write to your local MP, encouraging them to keep the momentum up for Merton to achieve Fairtrade status, and to promote Fairtrade products borough wide. Encourage any community groups or schools that you are linked with to go Fairtrade. Lastly, if you're really keen, consider joining the Fairtrade Merton Steering Group, who meet monthly to push the campaign forward.

Do the council support this campaign?

Yes, they do! We have a representative from the council on our Steering Group, and Merton are committed to seeing the borough achieve Fairtrade status. Their role in this is to serve Fairtrade tea and coffee at all public meetings, and to pass a resolution supporting this. The council office café has also started serving Fairtrade snacks and drinks. Merton have also provided us with some financial support for the campaign. www.merton.gov.uk

What is Fairtrade?

Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay above market prices, Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their lot and have more control over their lives.

What is the FAIRTRADE Mark?

The FAIRTRADE Mark is an independent consumer label which appears on UK products as a guarantee that they have given their producers a better deal. The Mark is awarded by the Fairtrade Foundation, a registered charity set up by CAFOD, Christian Aid, Oxfam, Traidcraft Exchange and the World Development Movement. It shares internationally recognised Fairtrade standards with initiatives in 18 other countries, working together as Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International.

What does Fairtrade mean for third world producers?

For 500,000 workers and farmers in the developing world, Fairtrade means better terms of trade and decent production conditions. The Fairtrade Foundation, with its partners, maintains these standards by regularly inspecting third world suppliers, and checking contracts and trade terms.