Canterbury District Fairtrade Network



Canterbury District Fairtrade Network is a coalition of local organisations, educational institutions, faith groups, and individuals working to promote Fairtrade in the local area.  Products which carry the FAIRTRADE Mark guarantee a fair price to producers in developing countries.  Our aim is to raise awareness of the Fairtrade system and encourage people to buy Fairtrade products as a simple and direct way of addressing the problems of global poverty and injustice.  The Network was formed in 2004 and, working in partnership with Canterbury City Council, achieved official recognition for Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable as a Fairtrade District in 2006.

 

Find out more about Mark Thomas's visit in this short report

Our status as a Fairtrade District is conferred by the Fairtrade Foundation nationally, and has to be regularly renewed, so we need to maintain progress on promoting Fairtrade in the district.

As a group we keep track of the availability of Fairtrade goods locally and publish this information in our Fairtrade Guide.

We organise publicity stalls and other events to raise awareness and encourage local people to buy Fairtrade products.

We welcome the involvement of anyone who would like to help. There are many ways you can do so:

  • Buy Fairtrade products whenever possible
  • Ask shops, cafes and restaurants that you visit to stock Fairtrade products
  • Find out more about the Network's activities by joining the Network's Email List
  • Join the network and help out on our stalls and with our campaigning
  • Introduce Fairtrade products in your place of work or study
  • Tell us of any schools, workplaces, local organisations, churches or faith groups which use Fairtrade products.

If you'd like to join the network mailing list, please e-mail us.

Our partnership with Canterbury City Council also includes a commitment to promote the use of local produce. The two aims are not in conflict, but complement one another. Buying things like tea, coffee, chocolate and tropical fruits, and paying a fair price for them, can help to lift communities out of poverty in Africa and Asia and Latin America. Importing across the world those foods which have traditionally been grown in Kent is bad for the local economy and bad for the environment. To encourage the use of local produce, we have included a section on local farm shops and farmers' markets in our Fairtrade Guide.

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