How to become...
... a Fairtrade place of worship
An ever-growing number of places of worship - churches, synagogues etc -- are making the connection between trade and poverty and committing to using Fairtrade products including tea, coffee, sugar and biscuits. You can read about the benefits of buying products with the FAIRTRADE Mark here.
Places of worship organise hundreds of events during Fairtrade Fortnight and throughout the year as well as including prayers and readings about Fairtrade in their worship. Faith groups continue to be key supporters of Fairtrade which is making a real difference to the lives of more than 7 million farmers, workers and their families in 59 developing countries.
The three goals
Your Church Council or your Synagogue Council must agree to the following:
- Use Fairtrade tea and coffee after services and in all meetings for which you have responsibility
- Move forward on using other Fairtrade products such as sugar, biscuits and fruit
- Promote Fairtrade during Fairtrade Fortnight and during the year through events, worship and other activities whenever possible
Wider involvement
Wider denominational areas (e.g. Anglican deaneries and dioceses, Methodist circuits etc) can also be granted Fairtrade denominational area status. To qualify, your denominational area council needs to agree to:
- Support and promote Fairtrade, further encourage the use and sale of Fairtrade products and to serve only Fairtrade coffee and tea at meetings it is responsible for.
- Ensure that at least one half of the churches or places of worship in your denominational area have become a ‘Fairtrade Church’
- Encourage other local churches, parishes, circuits etc. to adopt a Fairtrade policy. As far as possible, display literature advertising the fact that Fairtrade products are used and served there.
- Attract further media coverage and continue raising awareness of the FAIRTRADE Mark. If possible, make reference to denominational area’s Fairtrade status on the relevant website.
- Set up a Fairtrade steering group to take responsibility for monitoring that goals continue to be met and developed over time.
Taking it further
For more detailed information either please contact The Borough of Scarborough Fairtrade Group, or contact the Fairtrade Foundation directly. You might also like to look at the Trade Justice - Yorkshire Churches web site for more information.