Businesses urged to get on board Fairtrade bid

09-JUL-08

North Tyneside Council has backed plans to work for recognition as a 'Fairtrade Borough' - and now it is urging businesses to support the campaign.

All they need to do is log onto the Tyne Town website - http://www.tynetown.co.uk -produced by North Tyneside Council to promote town centre businesses and register whether they stock Fairtrade products.

The site will help customers find out where to shop to find their Fairtrade favourites and it will help gather information needed to produce a Fairtrade shopper's directory for the borough.

The information from the site will also be used by North Tyneside steering committee - a partnership of public, private and third sector representatives driving the bid for Fairtrade status - to prove the borough-wide commitment to Fairtrade.

North Tyneside Council has passed a resolution confirming its support for the principles and objectives of the Fairtrade Foundation, and resolving to contribute to the campaign to achieve Fairtrade Borough status.

Elected Mayor, John Harrison said: "We have a moral obligation to support anything that can help millions of people across the globe to escape from the poverty that can mean families have to live on only £1 a day.

"And I know that this is something important not just to myself, and my cabinet, but also to the people of this borough - particularly the many children and young people who have told me they want North Tyneside to be a Fairtrade Borough.

"This is not about imposing anything on our businesses. It is about making this borough a place where we have raised awareness of Fairtrade and enabled those who wish to support the campaign to access a range of Fairtrade products."

The council passed the following resolution:

"This council supports the principles and objectives of the Fairtrade Foundation, and recognises that Fairtrade has improved the lives of millions of people in the developing world by preventing the exploitation of marginalised producers and enabling them to receive a better deal and a fair price for their goods and labour.

The council's sustainable development strategy aims to encourage the borough to thing globally and act locally, and this council supports the use of Fairtrade or otherwise fairly traded products as a way of tackling poverty and promoting sustainable international development. We aim to be recognised by the residents, businesses, voluntary organisations and communities of North Tyneside as a borough that actively supports and promotes Fairtrade.

"North Tyneside Council therefore resolves to contribute to the campaign to promote the benefits of Fairtrade, to raise the awareness of trade issues (both local and international) and to increase the sales of fairly traded products by striving to achieve Fairtrade Borough status over the current municipal year."

The resolution commits the council to work towards achieving five goals:
 

• To serve Fairtrade (mark or equivalent) tea and coffee at its meetings and in its offices

• To ensure at least two Fairtrade products should be readily available in the shops, supermarkets, cafes and restaurants of North Tyneside

• To promote the use of Fairtrade products among the workplaces, schools and community organisations of North Tyneside, and by its partners in the public, private and third sector.

• To attract support for Fairtrade by the media and to raise awareness and support for the campaign.

• To provide support for the Fairtrade steering group to actively promote Fairtrade

The Tyne Town website offers free registration for any high street business, which will now be able to register any Fairtrade products it offers in the categories of bodycare, clothes, crafts, foods, fruit/juices, household gods, jewellery, roses, snacks, tea and coffee, vending machines and wine