Preface. With warm Christian greetings. Bishop Peter Hancock, Bath & Wells

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1 Preface I am delighted that the resolution to become a Fairtrade Diocese was passed by the Bath & Wells Synod in 2010, as part of a campaign based on the Millennium Development Goals. The aim to reach this target was I have always been a supporter of Fairtrade and the Fairtrade objectives of just treatment of small producers and so I wish to give my support to the final push to achieve this demanding target. I know from first hand from my experience of witnessing poverty in West Africa the importance of empowering people to work to progress themselves. An assured income from Fairtrade helps them do this. As a wealthy nation which benefits from food from all over the world, we need to reach out and support those in need. To achieve Fairtrade status as a diocese, we need to have at least 50% of Churches registered as Fairtrade. This is a key stepping stone in the process, but is not the endpoint: many churches are already registered many may feel they are Fairtrade but are not formally registered some may feel that they cannot be registered I want to encourage every church to use this handbook to take further steps forward. This handbook aims to challenge and encourage all churches in the diocese, wherever they are on their Fairtrade journey to take further steps forward. I urge you all to make good use of it. With warm Christian greetings Bishop Peter Hancock, Bath & Wells

2 Introduction The Diocese of Bath & Wells voted at Synod in 2010 to move towards becoming registered as a Fairtrade Denominational Area. The target date was set as Many Churches in the diocese are already registered as Fairtrade and others may well considered themselves to be Fairtrade without having gone through the formal registration process. This booklet aims to help churches refresh and refocus their efforts in this process in order to enable the diocese to achieve its target. It is written for clergy, lay personnel and other members of the congregation; anyone who is interested in Fairtrade and wants to encourage support from others. Very little of this booklet is original material. It is a compilation of resources from the Fairtrade Foundation, Traidcraft and other sources. Even the style of presentation is an amalgamation of the Fairtrade Fortnight 2013 material, a leaflet from Sally Farrant at Exeter Diocese and The Jolly Postman by Allan Ahlberg. I have added comments based on my own experience and would encourage your deanery, church or individuals to add notes and press cuttings. My suggestion for how to use this booklet is to decide where you are as a church in your Fairtrade journey and then use the resource materials to judge if you can take the next step. Thus it is hoped that parishes, benefices, deaneries and the diocesan hierarchy can journey together to reach the 2015 target. More up to date information will be available on the Bath & Wells diocesan website: Jane Canning (jfcanning@btinternet.com) Bath & Wells Diocesan Champion February 2014

3 Step 1 - Complete Novice 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 sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives. ( How do you recognise Fairtrade products? 78% of shoppers in the UK recognise the Fairtrade mark and it is the most widely recognised ethical label globally. ( What does it promise? The Fairtrade mark is an independent consumer label you see on a product that meets the international Fairtrade standards. It shows that the product has been certified to offer a better deal to the farmers and workers involved. It does not endorse an entire company s business practices ( Some products may be marked Fair trade or Fairly traded ; unless they carry the Fairtrade mark, they are not Fairtrade registered but reflect a growing public awareness of the importance of the concept of Fairtrade. What is the Fairtrade Foundation? The Fairtrade Foundation is the independent non-profit organisation that licenses use of the FAIRTRADE Mark on products in the UK in accordance with internationally agreed Fairtrade standards. The Foundation was established in 1992 by CAFOD, Christian Aid, Oxfam, Traidcraft, the World Development Movement, and the National Federation of Women s Institutes. Member organisations now also include Banana Link, Methodist Relief and Development Fund, National Campaigner Committee, Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign, People & Planet, Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund, Shared Interest Foundation, Soroptimist International, Tearfund and Commitment to Life / United Reformed Church. The Foundation is the UK member of Fairtrade International (previously known as Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO)), which unites 21 labelling initiatives across Europe, Japan, North America, Mexico and Australia/New Zealand as well as networks of producer organisations from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. The Fairtrade Foundation is a registered charity (no ). ( There is often a bit of confusion about whether the Fairtrade Foundation is a charity or a business. Although technically it is both, the Foundation is most importantly a charitable body that works with other businesses to certify their products against internationally

4 agreed and independently audited Fairtrade standards. The Foundation also supports grassroots campaigning across the UK throughout a number of different communities such as schools, universities, towns and churches. Find out more about the Fairtrade Foundation online at

5 What is a Fairtrade Church? Churches that show their support of the concept of Fairtrade by fulfilling certain requirements (see Step 2 for detail on the how) can register with the Fairtrade Foundation and then are permitted to display a poster to that effect and can use the Fairtrade mark on their website and weekly sheet. Why become a Fairtrade Church? Sometimes Churches may feel that the paperwork (which is slight, see Step 2 again) is not worth if the Church is supporting Fairtrade producers by buying Fairtrade goods. However, this is only part of what Church organisations can do. Fairtrade is about obtaining justice for the poor. A parallel has been drawn between the fight against slavery in the 19 th Century and the fight for just treatment in global markets today. The Church lead the fight against slavery, surely it should also lead the fight against the enslavement of poverty today. To that end, it is not enough simply to buy Fairtrade products, we should engage as well in the debate and show our hearts on our sleeves by signing up to demonstrate our support of Fairtrade. By becoming a Fairtrade Church, you encourage people within and outside your congregation to engage in the issues of world poverty and do something about it. Also, for the diocese to become registered as Fairtrade, at least 50% of the Churches in Bath & Wells need to be registered. What is a Fairtrade Diocese? A Fairtrade Diocese or Denominational Area, is similar to a Fairtrade Church in that the whole diocese shows its support for the concept of Fairtrade by fulfilling a number of criteria. Which are 1. Support and promote Fairtrade, further encourage the use and sale of Fairtrade products and to serve only Fairtrade coffee and tea at meetings it is responsible for. 2. Ensure that at least one half of the churches or places of worship in your denominational area have become a Fairtrade Church 3. Encourage other local churches, parishes, circuits etc. to adopt a Fairtrade policy. As far as possible, display literature advertising the fact that Fairtrade products are used and served there. 4. Attract further media coverage and continue raising awareness of the FAIRTRADE Mark. If possible, make reference to denominational area s Fairtrade status on the relevant website. 5. Set up a Fairtrade steering group to take responsibility for monitoring that goals continue to be met and developed over time ( ade_diocese.aspx) Why become a Fairtrade Diocese? It follows on that if churches should wear their heart on their sleeves so should the wider church community. If you agree with my ideas expressed about Fairtrade churches, then

6 the idea of a Fairtrade diocese is a logical progression; it is simply a matter of scaling up the previous argument. Step 2 -Becoming a Fairtrade Church Requirements for becoming a Fairtrade Church. Your church can be registered by the Fairtrade Foundation as a Fairtrade Church There is a form to fill in (see the end of this section). On this a representative from your congregation signs that your PCC has agree to the following: Use Fairtrade tea and coffee whenever these refreshments are served on church premises Move forward on using other Fairtrade products (such as sugar, biscuits, fruit, communion wine and cleaning products) Promote Fairtrade during Fairtrade Fortnight and during the year through events, worship and other activities whenever possible The form also asks for some evidence of what you are doing and for contact details. What is the point of all this? If you have progressed this far in this booklet, it is because you have been persuaded that Fairtrade is both a good thing and something that speaks to the faith and commitment of the Church. This form shows that you are willing to show your support of Fairtrade in word and deed. What should we actually do? Let us look at the requirements section by section Use Fairtrade tea and coffee whenever these refreshments are served on Church premises. A lot of churches, but not all, serve refreshments after one or more Sunday morning services. Those churches are probably already using Fairtrade coffee and tea, so this is already a tick on the form and you just have to write down the name of your coffee and tea. If you are still using Nestle Gold Blend, now is the time to change and to do so you will need to engage the enthusiasm of the coffee makers. In my experience, the preferred choice of tea or coffee is a matter of habit. In your attempts to change you may well meet people who say I don t like Fairtrade coffee. There are now hundreds of coffees branded as Fairtrade, so it seems likely that you should be able to find one that suits the palate of your congregation. How about combining a thank you to the coffee makers with a tasting session in which they get to choose the new Fairtrade tea and coffee? Some churches, possibly in particular small ones, do not have a weekly fellowship after a Sunday morning service or they do not serve coffee. I was told of one church that provides sherry instead. You do not have to routinely serve tea and coffee, just when you do, make sure it is Fairtrade. There can be a problem of people bringing in jars of coffee or packets of tea which are not Fairtrade for different events. Just explain to them and

7 perhaps leave a polite notice, up in the kitchen or next to the kettle, saying what the church is trying to do. If the Church is promoting Fairtrade in word and deed, this first requirement is about setting an example. So it does not matter how often you provide tea or coffee, just when you do, make it Fairtrade. Move forward on using other Fairtrade products (such as sugar, biscuits, fruit, communion wine and cleaning products) The Fairtrade Foundation has certified over 4,500 products. Your church is not going to use all of them. Fairtrade sugar is an easy one as all Tate and Lyle is now Fairtrade. Alternatively, I would particularly recommend the sugar sachets sold by Traidcraft as they help to keep the sugar in good condition as well as being a clear advertisement for Fairtrade. Other products? Well take your pick; there is now a lot of choice. Like tea and coffee, it is about setting an example and continuing to think about ways to move forward on this issue. Promote Fairtrade during Fairtrade Fortnight and during the year through events, worship and other activities whenever possible. Fairtrade Fortnight is a national two weeks of action on the issue of Fairtrade, taking place between February and March. It is spearheaded by the Fairtrade Foundation who determine a theme and produce relevant free resources including appropriate worship material. Other interested and involved groups also used this time to promote Fairtrade either using Fairtrade Foundation resources or producing their own. Fairtrade Fortnight is a convenient hook into considering the place of social justice within the Christian faith. It makes for an interesting and apposite sermon and there are some stirring modern hymns (mainly by John Bell) to rouse the emotions. Some churches will organise special relevant events focused on the fortnight (see Step 5 Campaigning) but you need to do something that is appropriate and relevant to your church. Do not forget simple things such as displaying a (new) poster or providing a cake made with Fairtrade ingredients to be eaten with your Fairtrade coffee after the morning service. However, the aim is to get your wider congregation thinking about the issues behind Fairtrade and for some people this is harder for them than donating money. There are a number of organisations that produce helpful worship resource materials on the theme of Fairtrade. The Fairtrade Foundation has already been mentioned as such a source. Another source of ideas is Traidcraft. This organisation has already been mentioned several times in this booklet and many of you will already be familiar with it but for those of you who are asking. What is Traidcraft? This is how Traidcraft describe themselves Traidcraft was established in 1979 as a Christian response to poverty.

8 Our mission is to fight poverty through trade, practising and promoting approaches to trade that help poor people in developing countries transform their lives. Traidcraft is the UK s leading fair trade organisation and is made up of a trading company (Traidcraft plc) and an international development charity (Traidcraft Exchange). This unique structure gives us many opportunities to influence opinion and behaviour in the charitable, private and public sectors. We work in over 30 developing countries in Africa, Asia and South America. ( s_introduction_new.pdf) Traidcraft is a very good source for support material, including worship ideas. Find these at: Other possibilities Fair-Trade.pdf Remember that issues of global and trade justice do not have to be restricted to Fairtrade Fortnight. Other opportunities include Christian Aid week Lent Back to Church Sunday ( sponsored by Traidcraft Harvest One World Week ( Advent Step 3 -Taking Fairtrade beyond the church doors Starting a Fairtrade/Traidcraft stall This will mean that your congregation will be taking Fairtrade products out from church to share with their family and friends Many people think that having a stall is a requirement for becoming registered as a Fairtrade church, but it is not. However, having a stall does help fulfil requirement 3 on the registration form, because it is a regular reminder to all members of the congregation and it can be an instrument of outreach to the community.

9 If you sell Fairtrade products in your church, these do not have to be from Traidcraft, but it is much easy to start as a Traidcraft fair trader. From the Traidcraft website ( all) Sell fair trade products to your church - and anyone else! Around 4000 'Fair Traders' sell Traidcraft products to their church congregations around the UK. Be one of them - it makes a huge impact. "Our Traidcraft stall is a physical presence that reminds us of the Biblical imperative to work for justice and the poor. Supporting Fairtrade is a practical, everyday way to put that into practice. It takes us beyond ourselves and reminds us of the fact that we're part of a worldwide community. Supporting Fairtrade is an integral expression of our faith." Mark Wroe, vicar of Holy Trinity, Jesmond in Newcastle It might feel like your individual purchases make little difference, but collectively your small group, church or local community can have a huge impact. Churches around the UK spend around 5 million on Fairtrade products from Traidcraft every year. To our producers that means a fair price, fresh water, education for their children, the ability to take control of their lives, dignity and respect. It means hope. Being a 'Fair Trader' - what does it mean for you? We give you discounts, invoicing and free delivery You decide who you're going to sell to, where and when You complete a short application and send us your first order It's a great way to make a practical difference. It's easier for your church, friends and family to make a habit of buying Fairtrade, learn more about it and discover a whole range of Fairtrade products they didn't know about. "It's no good praying for change if we don't do something about it. Having a Traidcraft stall in church not only brings benefits to producers, it says to local people that this church is doing something!" A Fair Trader who runs a Traidcraft stall in her church. For further details on how to apply go to air_trader.htm I have been a Traidcraft fair trader for about 15 years; this is my summary of the positive and negative aspects of the role. Ups I feel it is a very practical and balanced way of addressing issues of world poverty. I enjoy doing it. It is a challenge but it is also fun.

10 Downs It can involve young people. Children just come and help on the stall without being asked. They engage at their own level in the issues of Fairtrade while practicing their mental arithmetic and interacting with older members of the congregation. It can make money. At home, I never run out of basmati rice, honey or toilet paper. If successful it can take up space in all 4 dimensions. In other words it needs work and commitment. You need to develop marketing strategies, the products do not sell themselves. However, this for me is part of the enjoyable challenge (see up number 2). My suggestions for starting a stall You need seed money because cash flow can be very difficult at the beginning. Get the PCC to provide a loan/grant, or have a fund raising coffee money. Alternatively, if this seems too challenging, buddy up with an existing stall holder and sell things on sale or return. Decide where you are going to store things. It has to be cool, dry and mice free. Big plastic boxes are very useful. If it is at your home you have to take it up to church to sell it. If it is at church the space is likely to be very limited and you have to go up to church to stock take and check sell by dates. Ordering can be done by snail mail, but it is better to have someone with a bit of IT knowledge involved as it makes the whole thing quicker and easier. Buy a pricing gun, writing out price labels by hand is very tedious. Check with the congregation at the beginning, before you put in your first order, what they would like to buy. After a while you will get to know what sells well. Once you have established your stall, you can then take it to other events- fetes, coffee mornings, school fund raisers, talks, gigs and local markets. Other ways of stepping out for Fairtrade Young people s groups Teenagers are likely to know a lot about Fairtrade from geography lessons in school. Try firing up their active enthusiasm by trying either of these games from Christian Aid Local Schools Take the message out to your local school, especially if it is a Church of England maintained school. If they respond enthusiastically you could help them set up a

11 Fairtrade stall or become a Fairtrade school. (For more details see Encouraging local businesses to become fair trade Do an audit of Fairtrade goods in your area. then Encourage shops, large and small, to stock Fairtrade by asking for it. Invite a local business which has gained Fairtrade certification to speak to your Church. Involve the local MU &/or WI Both of these organisations were among the original sponsors of the Fairtrade Foundation, but might need reminding of this at local level. Step 4 -Refreshing the vision/not all Fairtrade is equal My dear, here we must run as fast as we can, just to stay in place. And if you wish to go anywhere you must run twice as fast as that. Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland How long is the attention span of your church or community? Does this sound familiar You are a registered Fairtrade Church, well done. You have a monthly stall which is chugging along. You put up a poster during Fairtrade Fortnight. All good stuff, however, compassion fatigue has set in. Sales on the stall have dropped. The congregation say they are buying Fairtrade at the supermarket, surely that is better? Peoples eye glaze over when you start talking about Fairtrade. They are complacent. What do you do? Should we shut up and sit down? No, there are still people in the Developing World struggling because we squeeze them financially until the coffee beans squeak. Give your church bit more of a challenge One obvious thing to do is really make full use of the Fairtrade Fortnight materials and do something different There is an excellent resource, Not Just Sunday from Traidcraft, available for download from There are other useful materials on the same site. Have a special service (the Kenyan Liturgy is very exciting if you are allowed to use it). Invite your MP to speak about their views on Fairtrade.

12 Make sure the congregation know about recent developments, such as the new Fairtrade logo (see picture on the next page and Labelling.htm) Don t be afraid to remind the congregation how awful poverty is. (See one big mountain Other suggestions Food tasting is always good. Cake made with Fairtrade ingredients (provide the recipe). Blind tasting of chocolate (see Chocolate for more details) Free samples from the stall New posters - especially during Fairtrade Fortnight (If you just leave up old posters, people stop seeing them) Get in a good speaker Have a curry evening Play Fairtrade pass the parcel ( A rollicking good sermon from the Rector always does wonders. Advertise the Real Easter Egg or The Real Advent Calendar Get your church to change to real coffee after the service either by using or buying a Traidcraft Buffalo Coffee Percolator Try new products on the stall, especially the new cleaning materials from Traidcraft, which use Fairtrade palm oil from West Africa. The youth group could inform the congregation how this could help endangered orang-utans

13 . Get the youth group to run a social media based promotion campaign. Include promoting Fairtrade in your Mission Action Plan. Read a book about Fairtrade (e.g. Fighting the Banana Wars and Other Fairtrade Battles by Harriet Lamb) Get your book group to read a book about Fairtrade Become a Fairtrade mother hen and take another church from your benefice or group ministry under your wing. Help them become Fairtrade registered or run a Fairtrade stall as sale or return. Basically you just have to keep on banging on about it. There is an end point to the campaign and that is went the logo becomes redundant because we, the consumers, know that all producers are always paid a fair wage for their wares. That end-point is still a long way off. There is a further challenge about Fairtrade; not all Fairtrade is equal. How is that possible? Surely Fairtrade is about justice and being just means treating everybody the same, so how can some Fairtrade be better than others! I will let Traidcraft explain; read the excellent leaflets in the third wallet. Step 5 Campaigning You have looked through this booklet and now feel that you are ready to really stretch your commitment to Fairtrade - excellent! Read on.

14 This booklet is aimed at churches, but it may well be at this stage the church through the PCC, is still working together, or there is a small group of involved and enthused parishioners, or it is just a dedicated individual that burns with a desire to do something more than dropping coins in a collecting tin. In the long term, real change needs more than money, so this section is more about consciousness raising rather than charities raising money. Within the context of campaigning, there is a choice between promoting the concept of Fairtrade or campaigning on the wider issues of world poverty, although it seems likely to me that most people will do both. On the issue of World Poverty Over the years there have been many campaigns including: Walk for the World Jubilee 2000 (still campaigning as Make poverty history (still campaigning as The If...campaign There are charities that campaign on Trade/Food Justice Christian Aid ( World Development Movement ( Oxfam ( There are charities that campaign on the issue of Fairtrade Fairtrade Foundation - is the most obvious and this runs a well-resourced campaign every year during Fairtrade Fortnight, but it also has other ongoing campaigns ( Traidcraft ( All these organisations will welcome your support and tell you how to get involved; get on to their websites to find out more. Frequently asked questions What about our local farmers? Our local farmers need to be cherished and supported. They have gone through hard times, particularly recently squeezed by large supermarkets and ravished by floods. There are a number of ethical logos that inform the buyer about the source and quality of their food on the shelves in supermarkets, in particular the red tractor; although, even this does not seem to guarantee farmers a fair price. I think it is about time we thought more about the quality of our food and the care for our farms rather than the width of our Wi-Fi. However, there are two points to be made in relation to Fairtrade.

15 Firstly, as far as I am aware, there is no UK farmer growing coffee or cocoa, although apparently there is tea grown in Cornwall. Simply because producers live a long way away from us should not separate them from our care and respect. The Fairtrade logo ensures the producers are being treated justly and not being squeezed by our economic system. Secondly, although the UK farming community has been presented with many challenges, up until the floods, they normally had clean running water in their homes, electricity and inside toilets; their children have schools to attend. One of the things the Fairtrade premium can be used for is to build the community a pump, providing them with clean drinking water. Alternatively, the premium is often used to support local schools. Who is Fairtrade International/FLO? Fairtrade International (formally known as Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International - or 'FLO') is the international body made up of the Fairtrade Foundation and its partner organisations around the world. We re proud to say it s 50 per cent owned by the farmers and workers it works for. FLO is in charge of developing Fairtrade standards for products, supporting farmers and workers, and operating global certification and auditing systems. FLO is based in Bonn, Germany, and is composed of two separate organisations: 1. FLO International ev. is a non-profit multi-stakeholder association. FLO develops and reviews international Fairtrade standards and supports farmers and workers to make the most of market opportunities. Read more at 2. FLO-CERT GmbH is a limited company in charge of the inspection and certification of farmers, workers and traders. It operates independently of any other interests, and follows the international ISO standard for certification bodies (ISO 65). Read more at What is the Fairtrade minimum price? The Fairtrade minimum price defines the lowest possible price that a buyer of Fairtrade products must pay the producer. The minimum price is set based on a consultative process with Fairtrade farmers, workers and traders and guarantees that producer groups receive a price which covers what it costs them to grow their crop. When the market price is higher than the Fairtrade minimum price, the trader must pay the market price What is the Fairtrade premium? It s what makes Fairtrade unique. It s an additional sum of money paid on top of the Fairtrade minimum price that farmers and workers invest in social, environmental and economic developmental projects to improve their businesses and their communities. They decide democratically by committee how to invest the premium. Can buying Fairtrade products help to tackle climate change? Farmers/workers must meet environmental standards as part of certification. Producers are required to work to protect the natural environment and make environmental protection a part of farm management. They are also encouraged to minimise the use of energy, especially from non-renewable sources.

16 By choosing Fairtrade, shoppers in the UK are ensuring that farmers and workers receive a Fairtrade premium to invest in economic, social and environmental products of their own choice. It means they can implement a range of environmental protection programmes which contribute to the range of solutions needed to address climate change and ultimately benefit us all. To give two examples, tea workers in India have invested some of their Fairtrade Premium into replacing the traditional wood-burning heating with a solar-panelled system. Coffee farmers in Costa Rica have used the premium to replant trees to prevent soil erosion and have invested in environmentally friendly ovens, fuelled by recycled coffee hulls and the dried shells of macadamia nuts. This means that they no longer need to cut forest trees and so can preserve the rainforest and the oxygen they produce. By choosing Fairtrade products, you can help farmers and workers preserve their own environment and allow them to have a positive social benefit in their community. Climate change hits the poorest in developing countries hardest. This includes people whose livelihoods depend on agriculture. Through the Fairtrade Premium farmers and workers have a little extra to use when harvests fail, or if they need to change to growing a different crop if the climate becomes unsuitable for the way they currently farm. How does Fairtrade labelling work with composite products? Many Fairtrade products, such as coffee, tea, flowers, sugar and rice are 100 per cent Fairtrade. However there are other products, such as cakes, biscuits, ice cream and chocolate, in which the ingredients are a mixture of Fairtrade ingredients from developing countries (such as sugar, cocoa, honey and vanilla) and ingredients sourced more locally from UK or European farmers (such as milk, flour or eggs). These are known as composite products. To take account of this, the Fairtrade Foundation has developed requirements for where and how the FAIRTRADE Mark may be used based on FLO policy. The main principles of these requirements are: 100 per cent of any ingredient that can be Fairtrade certified, must be Fairtrade certified. Any product may carry the FAIRTRADE Mark if more than 50 per cent of its total ingredients (calculated by dry weight) are sourced from Fairtrade certified producer organisations. If the total Fairtrade certified ingredient content is less than 50 per cent, the product may still be eligible if it has one significant Fairtrade ingredient that represents more than 20 per cent of the product s dry weight. An example of a significant ingredient might be an orange juice drink made of 20 per cent Fairtrade certified orange juice and the rest water. Why aren t handicrafts Fairtrade certified? Fairtrade certification and pricing were designed for commodity products. It is hard to adapt the Fairtrade model of standardised minimum pricing to crafts and other products made by small-scale artisans, which are unique, made of varied materials and have

17 highly varied production processes and costs. However, FLO is working with WFTO to explore whether we could certify these products in the future. From See this web page for more frequently asked questions