Fairtrade in Bolton
Bolton Council has been supporting the Fairtrade movement since 2002. A year later, we became one of the UK’s first Fairtrade towns.
In 2009, council members agreed unanimously to formalise and strengthen Bolton’s commitment to Fairtrade. In the same year, Bolton won an award in the Fairtrade Fortnight Awards.
Since then, the council has helped to organise a wide range of events to support Fairtrade. We have also produced guides to Fairtrade in Bolton with backing from local celebrities including DJ Sara Cox, boxer Amir Khan, Olympic cyclist Jason Kenny, singer Laura White, comedians Stu Francis and Dave Spikey, and former Bolton Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce.
Bolton’s schools have done an enormous amount of excellent work to raise awareness of the movement. For example, in 2009 over 2,000 children ate Fairtrade bananas in the North Stand of the Reebok Stadium. And in 2011, over 1,500 children created two massive Fairtrade logos.
Bolton’s mayor is the patron of Fairtrade in Bolton and in 2018 hosted a delegation from Korea, who visited to find out more about the work we do as a Fairtrade town.
The mayor and three elected members from the council are part of the town’s Fairtrade steering group, which brings people together to coordinate action on Fairtrade.
What Fairtrade means for famers and producers
For farmers and workers, Fairtrade means workers’ rights, safer working conditions and fairer pay. For shoppers it means high-quality, ethically produced products.
It is a certification system that aims to ensure a set of standards are met in the production and supply of products or ingredients.
Fairtrade means:
- Farmers get a fair and stable price for their products, as Fairtrade guarantees a minimum price
- Extra payments for farmers and workers to spend on anything that benefits them, their families and communities, via the Fairtrade Premium
- Environmental protection and improvement plus help adapting to climate change
- A stronger position in world markets for small-scale farmers
- A closer link between consumers and producers
How do to support Fairtrade producers
There are over 6,000 Fairtrade products ranging from coffee and tea to flowers and gold, and the best way to support producers is to buy Fairtrade products in Bolton.
Many shops, retailers and supermarkets across the borough sell Fairtrade products – just look for the Fairtrade logo on the packaging – or you can shop at Bolton’s specialist Fairtrade store, Justicia.