As we finish up the last of a rather large batch of cookies we bought to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight back in March, I’m glad of the energy boost provided by their chocolatey goodness as I set about handing over my client accounts to the rest of the team. As spring finally kicks in, I thought what better time to take a metaphorical leap from JB towers into a brand new challenge for the year ahead. And no, I’m not simply moving on because the cookies are running out!
My on-going global adventure will take me to Sweden for the next six weeks, so it’s just as well I haven’t broken out the summer T-shirts just yet!
As I say my farewells and gather my worldly possessions, I thought I’d take a moment to reflect upon my time as JB’s environmental manager and our support for the Fairtrade movement…
Going beyond shaking coin-laden collection boxes, Fairtrade allows consumers to weaken poverty cycles with trade not aid. The Fairtrade badge has been around for a while now, so I probably don’t need to tell you that it promotes independence and progression and gives low-income farmers and producers better bargaining power and the opportunity to sell to foreign markets.
Jacob Bailey’s choice of biscuits may not seem like much, but our efforts (and those of customers like us) are helping some of the world’s most marginalised people reach the top of the UK retail market. And the cookies are pretty darned good, so it’s not an entirely selfless act.
But it’s not just biscuits from South Africa, India and Malawi and hot chocolate from São Tomé, Fairtrade also enables communities of artisans and micro-manufacturers, the majority of them women, to thrive in association with the talents of the fashion world. This develops local creativity, fosters predominantly female employment, breaks unfair child labour practices and promotes gender equality in order to reduce poverty. It also answers the growing demand of consumers that fashion should be fair.
I’m very proud that during my time at Jacob Bailey, we’ve become part of a larger movement that’s making a real difference to the lives of others by encouraging fairness, equality, honesty and togetherness – principles that the JB company vision is built upon.
It only remains to decide how many pallets of cookies to order for World Fairtrade Day on 12th May!
