| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 3rd, 2018 | CONTACT: Lauren Berlekamp, 202-657-7754 [email protected] |
Leading Fair Trade Advocacy Group Celebrates World Fair Trade Day
Fair World Project Highlights Brands and Organizations Committed to Regenerative Organic Agriculture for Community and Climate Solutions
PORTLAND, OR — Leading fair trade advocacy organization Fair World Project (FWP) has announced their annual campaign to celebrate World Fair Trade Day, which takes place Saturday, May 12, 2018. The campaign is in collaboration with the National Co+op Grocers (NCG) and dedicated global fair trade brands including Alaffia, Alter Eco, Dr. Bronner’s, Equal Exchange, Guayaki, and others. Representing 1.3 million consumer-owners in retail outlets in 37 states, NCG will feature promotions and educational events to support the campaign. This year’s theme, “Fair for Farmers and Soil” puts an emphasis on the regenerative agriculture practices used by small-scale farmers that promote soil fertility and help to mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon into the soil.
“In seeking practical solutions to the problems humanity is facing, people are waking up to how our buying power plays a significant role in the big picture,” says Dana Geffner, Executive Director of Fair World Project. “Consumers are demanding more from the companies they purchase from and want to support brands dedicated to working with small-scale farmers who are using regenerative organic techniques that help to solve the climate crises. Celebrating World Fair Trade Day together encourages the market to see the direction consumers are headed, while highlighting and supporting companies who are truly committed to using their own economic power towards a better world for all.”
World Fair Trade Day is a global initiative by the World Fair Trade Organization and is celebrated by millions of people in over 70 countries. In its seventh year, Fair World Project’s World Fair Trade Day retailer campaign showcases the small-scale producers at the heart of the global fair trade movement and the contributions they make to healthy, sustainable communities around the world.
“National Co+op Grocers (NCG) and our food co-ops value people and believe in business models that are socially just, participatory, and committed to principles of fairness and equity,” says Allie Mentzer, Advocacy Manager of NCG. “We are proud to support World Fair Trade Day as an event that raises awareness of these issues as well as the ways in which consumers can support companies and products that align with these values.”
Though multiple definitions and programs for “fair trade” certification exist, Fair World Project works to educate brands and consumers about the standards reflected in various certification schemes, and how to keep eco-social terms and certifications meaningful and effective. Fair World Project’s Spring/Summer 2018 edition of its free biannual publication, For A Better World, includes a reference guide for fair trade and worker justice program labels to help consumers choose authentic fair trade products. For A Better World is available for free at more than 1,500 natural retail outlets across the country, including many National Co+op Grocers member-owned locations.
“Small-scale farmers produce over half the world’s food on just a fraction of the land,” says Kerstin Lindgren, Campaign Director of Fair World Project. “As we look at ensuring access to healthy food for all people in an era of climate crisis and corporate consolidation, it is clear that we do not have sustainability and regenerative organic agriculture until we take fairness to farmers seriously.”
Learn more about Fair World Project and World Fair Trade Day here: https://fairworldproject.org/get-involved/world-fair-trade-day/.
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Fair World Project (FWP) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to protect the use of the term “fair trade” in the marketplace, expand markets for authentic fair trade, educate consumers about key issues in trade and agriculture, advocate for policies leading to a just economy, and facilitate collaborative relationships to create true system change. FWP publishes a bi-annual publication entitled For A Better World. For more information, visit: http://www.fairworldproject.org.
National Co+op Grocers (NCG) is a business services cooperative for retail food co-ops located throughout the United States that represents 147 food co-ops operating over 200 stores in 37 states with combined annual sales over $2.1 billion and over 1.3 million consumer-owners. NCG helps unify natural food co-ops in order to optimize operational and marketing resources, strengthen purchasing power, and ultimately offer more value to natural food co-op owners and shoppers everywhere. For more information, visit: https://www.ncg.coop/.