When shopping, I don’t only look for good-quality products. I also make sure that I buy Fairtrade products whenever I can. Buying Fairtrade products doesn’t mean that I am earth mother or that I wear jumpers made of felt. Buying Fairtrade is about ensuring that producers get a fair price for their products. It’s about ensuring that they are able to run their farms and businesses in a sustainable way that allows farmers and their families a decent and dignified livelihood as well as help them develop their full potential.

If you want to support the Fairtrade Foundation, there are number of different ways to get involved. The most obvious is to make sure that you buy products labelled with the official Fairtrade stamp whenever possible. Products range from fruit to fabrics, furniture and more, but if you want to go a step further, you can always support this important cause by donating a set amount of money every month or hosting your own Fairtrade events, either to raise money or to inform your friends, family or neighbours about the Fairtrade campaign.

You can find some great materials online and will be able to read about success stories or find out how farmers grow pineapples, coffee, cotton wool or even beauty products such as Shea Butter from Burkina Faso, Cocoa butters and lotions and much more.  It will give you a real inside and help you understand why it is so important to pay farmers fair prices for their labour and products.