Fair Trade Communities is an initiative developed by FTAANZ in order to provide a generic set of goals or guidelines which institutions and communities across Australia and New Zealand can adopt as a focus to promoting fair trade within their area of influence. Participating organisations work towards achieving a set of goals to promote fair trade within their procurement practices, workplaces and membership or community (where relevant). The program can be applied to a wide range of institutions including councils, government offices, universities, schools, faith groups and workplaces.
Participation in Fair Trade Communities helps institutions meet corporate and social responsibility goals. It will help build awareness among consumers of inequalities in international trade and empower people to make socially responsible choices. And it will provide a higher standard of living for disadvantaged producers in developing countries.
Specific guidelines have been developed for councils, universities, faith groups, workplaces and schools.
***Note - there is no longer any cost to become a Fair Trade Workplace, Faith Group or School***
The initiative has been developed from the experience of the hugely successful UK Fair Trade Towns program. As an indicator of the program’s popularity in the UK, as at March 2007 there are 220 declared Fairtrade Towns and a further 250 towns working toward Fairtrade status in the UK.
To see the growing list of organisations signing up to become Fair Trade Communities, click here.
Downloads now available:
The following organisations have signed up as Fair Trade Communities:
AUSTRALIA
Councils
Faith Groups
Schools
Workplaces
.
NEW ZEALAND
Churches
Schools
Workplaces