Newcastle Fairtrade Partnership

What's happening - Fairtrade Fortnight 9-22 September 2024

It's Fairtrade Fortnight between 9-22 September 2024! We'll be taking a report to the meeting of the City Council on Wednesday 4th September to ask the Council to commit to continuing to support Fairtrade in Newcastle, and our status as a Fairtrade City. 

We'll also be holding an event for students at the Newcastle University Students' Union branch (date and time TBC), encouraging all Fairtrade-supporting organisations in Newcastle to join us in promoting Fairtrade, and everyone is welcome to join in the national Fairtrade online events to find out more and get involved - here's the link to register:

Fairtrade Fortnight 2024: Be the Change Online Events

Contact us to find out more here: fairtrade@newcastle.gov.uk and keep an eye on our Facebook page here: Newcastle Fairtrade Partnership Facebook.

Until then, please see below for a recap of what we did to support Fairtrade in 2023!

And here's a video of our most recent event in 2024 - our stall outside Newcastle Council Chamber for the motion supporting Fairtrade at the Full Council meeting on 4 September 2024, at which the Council reaffirmed its support for Fairtrade:

The Newcastle Fairtrade Directory

And we've created our new Directory of where you can find Fairtrade products, and Fairtrade-supporting organisations (including charities, financial services, and places of worship) across the whole Newcastle upon Tyne area. We update it several times a year. 

The Newcastle upon Tyne Fairtrade Directory

If you'd like your organisation to be added to the directory, we'd love to do that! Contact us with this short form: Fairtrade in Newcastle 

Welcome Freshers!

We welcome all students to Newcastle, congratulations on starting your studies here! Below is a quick introduction to Fairtrade: 

Here's a bit more about Fairtrade for Universities and Colleges: Fairtrade Universities and Colleges

Here's our Directory: Newcastle Fairtrade Directory

And here's where you can find Fairtrade on a budget: Where to find Fairtrade products on a budget

Our first-ever Newcastle Fairtrade Partnership Newsletter!

To mark Fairtrade Fortnight 2024, here's our first ever Fairtrade Partnership Newsletter! We'll be producing it three times a year. Feedback welcome, email us at: fairtrade@newcastle.gov.uk

Autumn 2024 Newsletter Fairtrade Partnership Newsletter 1

What is Fairtrade?

Supporting Fairtrade in Newcastle means supporting both farmers and workers overseas, and local businesses and organisations here in Newcastle who sell Fairtrade goods. It also helps tackle climate change by supporting producers in areas of the world affected by it to plant trees, protect soils, and diversify their crops, so that they can continue to farm and support their families. Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world who produce products like coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, flowers, honey, or fruit. 

Fairtrade offers producers and farmers the Fairtrade Minimum Price, guaranteeing them a minimum price for the goods they sell as Fairtrade, even if the market price is lower. When the market price is higher than the Fairtrade Minimum Price, they will receive the higher market price. They also receive the Fairtrade Premium, which is an additional sum of money that goes into a communal fund for workers and farmers to use as they see fit to improve their social, economic and environmental conditions.

With Fairtrade you have the power to change the world every day and support organisations across Newcastle. With simple shopping choices, you can get farmers and produces a better deal to help them adapt to crises, such as cost of living increases and climate change. That means they can make their own decisions, control their future and lead the dignified life everyone deserves.

Newcastle is a Fairtrade City

When Newcastle became a Fairtrade City in 2003 we were one of the first cities in the country to achieve this, and we have kept up our status ever since. Here’s some more information about it from when we last renewed our Fairtrade City status in 2020: 

Fairtrade City status is awarded by the Fairtrade Foundation, which is the UK member of Fairtrade International (FLO), which is the standard setting and certification organisation for Fairtrade. The Fairtrade Foundation has a wealth of information at www.fairtrade.org.uk.

Newcastle Fairtrade Partnership

In Newcastle the group that works to maintain our Fairtrade City status is known as the Newcastle Fairtrade Partnership. Each member is responsible for the delivery of our Fairtrade Action Plan and for encouraging other individuals and organisations to participate in Fairtrade activities. The Partnership consists of organisations across Newcastle who sell or support Fairtrade, including Fairtrade schools and colleges, and places of worship. There is a Steering Group which works to support this, and to ensure we keep our Fairtrade City status. We are always looking for new members from Newcastle community groups and businesses who support Fairtrade. If you’d like to join us, please complete this short form: 

Join the Newcastle Fairtrade Partnership and Directory

If you've got questions, email us at: fairtrade@newcastle.gov.uk or find us on Facebook here: Newcastle Fairtrade Partnership on Facebook 
We'll be organising meetings on an ad hoc basis throughout the year, and having discussions online via Teams and email. If you want to get involved, please email us or find us on Facebook!