Thousands turn out to support Fairtrade’s ‘Be the Change’ Campaign

Ugandan coffee farmer Jenipher Sambazi (l) met with MPs and Members of the House of Lords, including Baroness Sugg (r), in parliament on 10 September 2024.

• The Fairtrade Foundation reports a significant increase (up 11%) in awareness of Fairtrade Fortnight following its September 2024 campaign.
• Community groups, schools, politicians and businesses across the country took part in this year’s ‘Be the Change’ Campaign.

Fairtrade Fortnight – two weeks of events and awareness-raising about Fairtrade in the UK (9-22 September) – has concluded, with thousands of committed Fairtrade supporters turning out to support its ‘Be the Change’ Campaign.

Following Fortnight there was a significant increase in awareness amongst the UK public, with 23% of people saying they have heard of Fairtrade Fortnight (up from 12% in 2023).

83% of people who said they had heard of Fairtrade Fortnight said that they went on to purchase a Fairtrade product as a result of seeing the campaign (up from 74% in 2023) (Source: Kantar Profiles, 2024).

Across the country, over 615 grassroots community events were held, from Fairtrade breakfasts to fashion shows, treasure hunts, film screenings and more. Schools also took part, with Fairtrade Foundation resources being used by over 1000 schools, meaning tens of thousands of children learning about how to ‘Be the Change’ for farmers and workers overseas.

Thousands of Fairtrade supporters wrote to their newly-elected MPs asking them to take the ‘Be the Change’ pledge. To date, 85 MPs have signed the pledge, and the charity hopes more will join in the coming months.

Everyone can get involved in asking their MP to sign the pledge for fairer trade and climate justice by visiting the Fairtrade Foundation’s website.

During Fairtrade Fortnight, Jenipher Sambazi, a Ugandan coffee farmer, joined Fairtrade for an event in Parliament where MPs heard first-hand about the challenges faced by coffee farmers, and of the benefits that being certified Fairtrade brings for Jenipher and her fellow co-operative members.

Mike Gidney, Fairtrade Foundation CEO, said:

“This Fairtrade Fortnight we asked everybody to ‘Be the Change’, to stand up for Fairtrade and show your support for farmers, and you have blown us away with your support. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has taken part: schools, places of worship, places of work, communities across the country working with retailers and brands to ‘Be the Change’. You have made us so proud.”

“This really has been a nationwide campaign. There have been fantastic campaign activities and lobbying of MPs right across the country,” said Mike.

Fairtrade Foundation’s ‘Be the Change’ campaign highlights how consumers, businesses and politicians can support farmers overseas to build stronger, more resilient communities.

As Fairtrade marks 30 years in the UK, September’s Fairtrade Fortnight celebrated the support shown for farmers and workers overseas by the millions of people who choose Fairtrade chocolate, coffee, tea, bananas, flowers, and more – with around 7 in 10 UK adults saying they bought a Fairtrade product during the last year. New YouGov research carried out for Fairtrade Fortnight also showed that almost 9 in 10 Britons value fair pay for farmers and workers overseas.

Outside flagship supermarkets in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London and Manchester, over 200 digital billboards thanked people for supporting Fairtrade, sharing calls to action such as: ‘Almost 2/3 of Londoners have chosen Fairtrade when shopping. Let’s get everyone supporting farmers and workers worldwide’.

Businesses also got involved, with more than 30 retailers and brands taking part in Fairtrade Fortnight with events, offers, quizzes and above the line advertising campaigns sharing their commitment to Fairtrade.

To find out more about Fairtrade Fortnight, visit: www.fairtrade.org.uk/get-involved/current-campaigns/fairtrade-fortnight/

Photo credit: Fairtrade Foundation.