It's only fair

COMPASSION and consumerism are words rarely used together - except when it comes to the business of buying Fairtrade goods. And what a business it is. The market for these products is growing. Over the past six years, sales of Fairtrade coffee, honey, chocolate, cocoa and tea have increased from £2 million to £22 million.

And the choice of goods you can buy is expanding too. Jewellery, textiles, furniture, clothing, stationery and ceramics are just some of the items you can now buy under the Fairtrade banner.

When you buy a Fairtrade product, you are directly helping producers in the developing world. Whether that be a family in Thailand or a tribe in Kenya - you can guarantee that a fair price has been paid to them and the money, in turn, is being directly invested in their communities.

That might give them a decent roof over their heads or a school for the children. And it also keeps alive ancient trades, skills and crafts by channelling them into making products for the western consumer.

Oxfam is probably the best-known stockist of Fairtrade products, an association which dates back to the 1960s. At Low Petergate in York, the charity has its own shop dedicated to foodstuffs, ceramics and textiles from more than 140 producers worldwide.

A number of other specialist shops in York also stock Fairtrade products, most notably And Albert, Shared Earth, both in Low Petergate, and Fairer World in Gillygate.

However, supermarkets have been muscling in on the market too, stocking a range of foodstuffs - importantly bringing the notion of Fairtrade to a wider audience. The movement received a huge boost last year when Sainsbury's announced it was stocking Fairtrade bananas from Caribbean farmers. The deal protected banana growers from the effects of a price war among Latin American plantations.

To raise further the profile of such goods, March 5-18 has been declared Fairtrade Fortnight, with a variety of events taking place.

On Wednesday between noon and 2pm, volunteers from Oxfam will be out and about in York giving out free samples of Fairtrade coffee and tea. The theme of its promotion is breakfast.

However, a peek inside the Low Petergate shop shows there's a lot more to Fairtrade than organic tea from India and marmalade from Swaziland.

Practical woven baskets, pretty vases, cups and bowls and cotton throws in a variety of designs are just some of the other products on sale.

Pride of place is the new Water Collection - a selection of neutral-coloured wares tastefully designed with an obvious eye for western design trends.

Alison Searle, of Oxfam, explains: "We need to improve and refresh the range of products more regularly."

So a bowl from last year will be redesigned or glazed in a new colour to give it fresh appeal - and another bite at the western market.

As Alison points out, the last thing the Fairtrade movement needs is shops stocked full of interesting and authentic ethnic products which no one wants to buy.

"We have people in each country advising the producers on what the western market is looking for. We sometimes get the advice of a designer on upcoming trends. The producers then use their skills to modernise or update the products.

"We don't want to buy something from them that they have put a lot of money into that just won't sell.

"We also train them to produce goods which they can sell at the local markets, so they are not dependent on one source of income."

And Albert is another Fairtrade retailer, just a stone's throw away from the Oxfam store. It's staff also work with craftspeople in the developing world to produce the right products for the western market.

Current projects include turning Cambodian fish traps into light shades and reshaping a ceramic cooking pot into a wall light.

"These are nice to look at," says the store's Dean Saint John, holding up one of the tubular fishing traps. "But there is only so much mileage in them. We have brainstorming sessions to see if we can fashion them into anything else."

He is dismissive of anyone who may be critical of such an approach.

"If you are going to be a purist, you are really cutting your nose off to spite your face. These products have got to be realistic in the western market place."

Dean has a good example of where "product development" clearly helped one community.

Most of the store's pottery comes from the village of Phum G'orm in Cambodia. But at one point, only one old woman in the village knew how to make the clay cooking pots. She was encouraged to teach the others, and also expand into making tiles.

"Now three or four families are involved and they are building a kiln in the village," says Dean.

Another main player in the Fairtrade market is Traidcraft which sells its mix of foodstuffs and giftware through a catalogue, supermarkets and select retailers including Fairer World, Gillygate, York, and the city's Spurriergate Centre.

Traidcraft's Fiona Thomson is in no doubt that consumers are shopping with a conscience when they drop a Fairtrade product in their basket.

"With Fairtrade goods, you have a guarantee that the producers are getting a better deal.

"And that you are safeguarding the livelihoods of the people either who produce or make these items. It's something UK consumers consider important."

To order the new spring Traidcraft catalogue, contact: 0191 491 1001. Visit online at: www.traidcraft.co.uk