Among our list of criteria to achieve to become a Fair Trade Nation is a requirement that the number of Scots who recognise common Fairtrade branding needs to increase by 5% every year until we reach 75% and 40% of those people buy Fairtrade products regularly.

It seems like a tall order until you consider that research carried out in 2007 by the Scottish Executive International and Europe Social Research Team found the following:

• 68% of secondary school pupils surveyed had at least some idea of what the Fairtrade Mark means, with almost 38% saying they knew ‘quite a lot’ about what it represented.
• 64% of the general public surveyed having some idea of what the Fairtrade Mark means, with 24% saying they knew ‘quite a lot.’
• Of all those who responded, 53% they buy at least one Fairtrade product a year.

To put this another way, in February 2008 the Fairtrade Foundation released its annual figures and revealed that 75% of the UK public recognised the Fairtrade Mark. Their 2006 figures found that awareness of Fairtrade in Scotland was among the highest in the UK, at 61%.

Given that general awareness in Scotland rose 3% between 2006 and 2007, and that was before Scotland even had a Fair Trade Nation campaign, this means we are in a good place. The Scottish Fair Trade Forum is now leading the drive to raise awareness and understanding of Fair Trade in Scotland and we expect figures to go up. It was also before an official Fairtrade Schools award was launched by the Fairtrade Foundation in October 2007, and over 200 schools in Scotland are now registered as working toward the award; Fair Trade education in schools is preparing the next generation of adult consumers to think about the impact of how they shop.

Now is a time of huge opportunity to promote awareness and understanding of Fair Trade in Scotland, to be proud that Scotland will be one of the world’s first Fair Trade Nations and to work to change mindsets and habits to make sure that the impact we have on the people who make the goods we purchase is a positive one.

We’re well on our way!

Regards,
Betsy

Welcome to the new Scottish Fair Trade Forum website!

Over the past year, we at the Forum have been hard at work setting up the systems to get us up and running as an organisation, building solid working relationships with Fair Trade Organisations in Scotland and elsewhere, bringing Fairtrade producers to local events throughout Scotland and spreading the word among the many committed Fair Trade campaigners and groups in Scotland that we’re here to support them.

It is exciting to look forward and even to revel a bit in what a time of opportunity this is for Fair Trade in Scotland. The Scottish Fair Trade Forum is one of only two organisations in the world of its kind. Scotland’s Fair Trade Nation campaign is one Scots can be proud of, because Scotland is leading the way in defining the future of Fair Trade, setting the standard for what Fair Trade campaigners can accomplish by working together toward a common goal.

This campaign belongs to everyone in Scotland and we want this website to reflect that. We want Fair Trade-enthusiastic groups and organisations from all sectors and regions in Scotland to build their own webpages, upload information about local Fair Trade activity and help us build a space that is a genuine reflection of the very active Fair Trade community in Scotland.

Enjoy the website and, as always, keep in touch!

Warm regards,
Betsy