| Click here to download the Fair Trade Towns Frequently Asked Questions in pdf format. | |
| What does it mean for a town or city to be recognized as a Fair Trade town? | |
A town needs to meet the following five goals to become Fair Trade: |
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| Will all businesses be required to offer Fair Trade products? | |
| This is certainly not a requirement. Of course the goal is to maximize the availability of Fair Trade products in as many places as possible. The idea is that there should be at least one store that carries at least two Fair Trade product lines for every 2,500 people in a town that has less than 10,000 residents. For a town of 10,000-20,000, there should be one store that carries at least two Fair Trade product lines for every 5,000 residents, and for a town between 20,000 and 50,000 there should be one store for every 10,000 residents that carries at least two Fair Trade product lines. Cities working toward becoming Fair Trade should refer to the section in the Fair Trade Towns Toolkit titled For the Fair Trade City for information specific to towns larger than 50,000 people. | |
| Will it cost the town money? | |
| It doesn't have to. Towns can commit to Fair Trade and pass a resolution in support of Fair Trade without spending any money. There are many Fair Trade product lines that are comparably priced to non- Fair Trade, and the town or city offices may be eligible for office/wholesale prices depending on the company that they choose as a Fair Trade supplier. | |
| What does a retailer have to do to get involved? | |
| If there is not yet a Fair Trade Towns committee in your community, work on forming a group with others to take some of the first steps toward reaching the Fair Trade Towns goals. One idea is to work with other Fair Trade retailers and organizers to plan a Fair Trade Festival and/or a Fair Trade Fashion Show to showcase and sell product, as well as to get more people interested and involved in forming a Fair Trade steering committee. For information on retailers who sell Fair Trade products go to www.fairtradefederation.org and www.transfairusa.org/content/wheretobuy. Also be sure to check out the Resources page of this website. | |
| What about locally produced goods? Isn't Fair Trade competition for our farmers? | |
| Fair Trade Certified goods like coffee, tea, cocoa and bananas are not produced in the US (except in minor volumes in Hawaii). These do not represent any sort of competition with local farmers as local farmers are producing different crops. Some may also be concerned that Fair Trade products travel long distances, thereby accumulating ‘food miles'. We support the approach of many members of BALLE (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies), who say "Buy local and Buy Fair Trade" for those products that are not grown locally, supporting sustainable models of production at all levels: Fair Trade: better for communities and better for the environment. | |
| Does Fair Trade Towns work with any other sustainable community initiatives like Buy Local, Buy Organic, Living Wage campaigns or Sweatshop-Free? | |
| The guidelines for becoming a Fair Trade town or city do not incorporate criteria such as forming partnerships with the campaigns mentioned above, though there is lots of synergy with these movements, and we support the values behind those efforts. Many local Fair Trade advocates are also involved in other sustainable community initiatives, and at the local level, you will likely find many opportunities to work together. We fully support collaboration, however, we also recommend being careful not to spread yourselves too thin by trying to accomplish too much at once! Fair Trade is a great way to introduce people of all backgrounds to the concept of sustainability and justice, and it is great way to develop links with other campaigners. | |
| There isn't much Fair Trade where I live. What do I do? | |
| Please contact us! Even if there aren't any stores selling Fair Trade in your community, chances are that there are others who are interested in learning more, and would like to help increase awareness. There are many ways to get the momentum started, such as a film screening and discussion, a festival, a tasting, etc. We may even know of others who have overcome such obstacles in their communities. | |
| I'd like where I live to be a Fair Trade town? Where do I begin? | |
| Ask yourself a few questions before you start recruiting others to work with you. What is motivating you? Are you easily discouraged? How well do you know the community in which you live? Are you clear on what it means to be a Fair Trade town? Are you comfortable talking to lots of different people? Be prepared to answer lots of questions about what it means to you for your community to be Fair Trade. Some find that the best way to get started is by planning an event, such as a Fair Trade Holiday Sale, or to collaborate with an existing event, such as tabling at a Farmer's Market to start talking to people about Fair Trade Towns. Review the tools and guides available on the Resources page. | |
| What's in it for me? | |
| Most steering committee work is volunteer-based, and the wealth of resources lies within shared knowledge, energy, and experiences. Many people who are passionate about Fair Trade find that working toward building awareness within one's own community is extremely fulfilling and filled with ah-ha! moments. Towns and cities that have fulfilled the five main goals set forth by Fair Trade Towns, are recognized on a national level. Be prepared to meet like-minded people involved in the campaign from around the country and sometimes the world. Generally individuals within the local committee or coalition share and rotate responsibilities and roles and therefore you are able to participate in all aspects of the process. Perhaps you will be contributing to making history! | |
| What's in it for my town? | |
| There is broad public support for promoting products that benefit workers and the environment, etc. Towns benefit by being recognized as leaders and this is an easy thing they can do. They can get media attention, be recognized as a sustainable town or city with a commitment on the part of public officials, to serve as role models for other communities. For more information, see the section in the Fair Trade Towns Toolkit titled Making the Community case. There are also examples of Fair Trade resolutions passed by cities and towns on the Transfair USA website. | |
| Who's behind the Fair Trade Towns initiative? | |
| Fair Trade Towns is a campaign organized by local and national Fair Trade advocates and grassroots groups whose aim is to support and grow the Fair Trade Movement in the US. The initiative began in the UK, where there are hundreds of Fair Trade Towns, recognized as such by the Fairtrade Foundation. | |
| Who decides what Towns are Fair Trade? | |
| There is no single governing body that coordinates or monitors Fair Trade Towns. Rather, towns and cities may publicly declare that they are Fair Trade once they meet the five goals set forth by the Fair Trade Towns campaign. It is up to the local coalition to ensure that the town maintains momentum in continuing to grow consumer awareness of Fair Trade. The town may be visited by the press and others involved in Fair Trade Towns so that we can learn about more successful strategies. | |
| Are there any Fair Trade Towns in the U.S.? How many? | |
| Yes, the first town in the US to be named Fair Trade is Media, PA. The second Fair Trade Towns in the US is Brattleboro, VT . In October 2007 Milwaukee, WI became a Fair Trade city, and most recently Amherst, MA became the fourth Fair Trade town in the US. There are many other towns and cities close to reaching the five goals outlined by Fair Trade Towns. Link here for more information on local initiatives happening throughout the US. | |
| Is there a logo or image for "fair trade friendly" that cafes, places of worship, or stores can display (if they serve more than two Fair Trade product lines)? | |
| The Fair Trade Towns logo seen throughout the website and on the Toolkit has recently been developed. There are plans to create a decal and other marketing materials for the use of local Fair Trade Towns groups. Some groups choose to develop their own logo that is recognized on a local level, and can be used on flyers, signs and banners, and may serve as a form of recognition in windows throughout the town or city. For those businesses that sell Fair Trade Certified products, TransFair USA offers window displays and other material to inform customers. | |
| The Fair Trade Towns guidelines seem easy to accomplish. Why not make it more difficult to become a Fair Trade Town? | |
| The Fair Trade Towns guidelines are target goals to help support local Fair Trade advocates with a meaningful and proven method for organizing their efforts. The goals are the minimum, and we encourage you to increase the challenge! Your local group might decide to add some components that are appropriate for your city or town. That is up to you – this is a way to get you started that has worked for towns across the globe! | |
| Is there a difference between becoming a Fair Trade town and passing a town or city-wide Fair Trade resolution? | |
| Yes, a Fair Trade town designation demonstrates a broad commitment to Fair Trade across a town or city community. This includes local businesses, community organizations, schools, as well as city or town government. Passing a Fair Trade resolution is one piece of becoming a Fair Trade town, but should be seen as a means to continue to raise awareness and commitment to Fair Trade in your community, not an end unto itself. | |
| What happens after a town is declared a Fair Trade Town or City? | |
| Becoming a Fair Trade town or city is a commitment to continue campaigning and raise awareness and sales of Fair Trade in your community. There are many ways of deepening this commitment. These may include – developing local tools like a Where to Buy Fair Trade Guide, setting up partnerships with local schools to teach about Fair Trade in school, raising the bar – increasing your target number of cafes and supermarkets, etc. There are many ways to continue, and achieving the goal of becoming a Fair Trade town is certainly not the end of Fair Trade campaigning in your community. | |
| Is there someone I can talk to about starting a Fair Trade Town? | |
| First contact the Fair Trade Towns Coordinator, Sara Stender: 802.356.0551 / sara@fairtradetownsusa.org. Once completed, you will also be able to search the map on the Initiatives web page for an experienced fellow campaigner, and possibly others nearby. |
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