Supporting Fair Trade from home during Lockdown

There are more reasons than ever to support Fair Trade. Luckily, there are also lots of ways to keep showing your support through the lockdown, and lots of ways that supporting Fair Trade can make the lockdown a little bit lighter! Here we’ve put together our top tips…

· The best way to support Fair Trade, as ever, is to keep buying Fair Trade products where you can. The Fairtrade Foundation and The World Fair Trade Organisation both have a useful directories of products, and where you can buy them, ideal for looking through before your weekly shop. Traidcraft are also still open for business and available for delivery. Why not discover items you didn’t even know could be Fair Trade? See these 5 things you didn’t know were Fair Trade, for starters.

No1 Harbourside champions both Fair and Local

· Support Fair and Local. We recognise that our small, local businesses and their employees are under pressure too, so supporting Fair and Local ticks all the boxes. Many businesses throughout Bristol support Fair Trade through what they source and sell, and some of these businesses have online shops for you to browse. Take a look at our directory listing many of the past winners of the South West Fair Trade Business Awards, or see how you

can keep supporting local food through the crisis on Bristol Food Network’s website.

· Turn your hand to some Fair Trade cooking and baking! We have some great recipes, including Peanut Butter, Tony’s Chocolonely and Fennel Cookies from Briony Williams (The Great British Bake Off), and a popular one at the moment, Banana and Chocolate Spread Bread, from our friends at The Community Farm. The Fairtrade Foundations also have a list of recipes for you to try.

What's your favorite Fair Trade product?

· Continue supporting Fair Trade campaigns from home. The World Fair Trade Organisation have launched their #StayHomeLiveFair campaign, which you can get involved with by posting pictures on social media of your favourite Fair Trade products, using the hashtag. You can also help support important campaigns that Traidcraft Exchange are running by donating here and help the fight to make trade fair.

· Invest in Fair Trade. You can make a positive difference with an ethical investment with Shared Interest, and they will keep you updated on how your money is helping Fair Trade farmers.

· Keep informed. Traidcraft Exchange have put together a series of blog posts, each focussing on different aspects of the coronavirus pandemic, and how it relates to the importance of Fair Trade. Along with other educational blogs, Fairtrade International have highlighted how Fairtrade living income work is vital at this time.

· Keep the kids informed and entertained. Fairtrade Schools is a great resource to follow with home learning challenges and short films to accompany them, designed to keep kids engaged whilst also developing key skills. We’ve put together a blog on how to keep kids engaged with Fair Trade over lockdown, listing some great ways to keep busy!

It’s still possible to create change from home, and this is something we can come together and take pride in. Continue supporting Fair Trade from home so that workers, their families and their communities are supported financially through uncertain times. Follow our social media channels and tell us how you’re keeping Fair Trade alive from lockdown!