Fairtrade Fortnight has focused this year on “The Big Swap”. It's a great initiative which has encouraged people to pledge to swap to Fairtrade products throughout the two week campaign. As I type, nearly over million people have pledged online here and the concept really seems to have taken off in the media.
I am a great supporter of Fairtrade Fortnight. It is the most high-profile attempt to push fair trade into the mainstream and seems to really resonate with people. However, as with all campaigns which have a day or a week dedicated to them, the difficulty is in maintaining that momentum. The pledge is a good idea because it creates a psychological commitment to Fairtrade which will hopefully continue throughout the year.
From the perspective of This Fair Earth, we need to do something slightly different, which is not only convince people of the merits of fair trade, but also broaden the understanding of how far fair trade can reach and demonstrate that fair trade products are often higher quality, more interesting and better designed that mainstream, factory-built products. The feedback from our customers is wonderful and truly inspiring. People comment regularly on the beauty and quality of their items and we have a fantastic group of loyal customers.
However, if we step into the mainstream in terms of marketing, we are up against the behemoths of the high street. This year, I hope that people enjoy Fairtrade Fortnight and then start to look deeper at everything they buy and recognise the genuine difference that fair and ethical shopping can make across the board. Changing for a week is easy, but changing for life is what really makes the world a better place.
