Last week was the start of Fair Trade Fortnight and the Eco-council has been working hard to ensure that it is a high profile event within the Academy.



Last week was the start of Fair Trade Fortnight and the Eco-council has been working hard to ensure that it is a high profile event within the Academy. Students have planned a number of events and activities to raise awareness and encourage the support of greater equality in international trade to ensure that businesses and people in less developed countries receive a fair deal.

In the dining hall you will notice a few changes to the menu. The catering team have made an extra special effort to include more Fair Trade ingredients on the menu and there will also be a Fair Trade stall at break and lunch times. In addition, Macmillan students also held a Mad Hatter's tea party in Captain Cook's square on Saturday 27th February, where the Eco-council sold Fair Trade smoothies and held a Fair Trade competition offering prizes such as a Fair Trade football signed by Middlesbrough Football club.

The Big Swap
The theme for this year's event is the big swap. We want you to try and swap at least one thing you buy for a Fair Trade product. If we all do this then it will help encourage more businesses to source their materials from Fair Trade sources. The result of this would mean a fair deal for more people. The fair trade logo appears on Fair Trade products. The products have been made by people in less developed areas such as Africa, South America and Eastern Europe. They have been given a fair price for their hard work and as a result should be able to make a living.

There are many fair trade products to choose from, this includes food items such as chocolate, bananas, honey and even ice cream. Drinks such as Tea, coffee, and fruit juice. Flowers, clothes and even footballs so please show your support and make the swap.

Some Fair Trade facts:

  • We spend nearly half a billion pounds on products carrying its mark in the UK every year,
  • 1 in every 4 bananas sold in UK supermarkets is now Fair Trade
  • The first Fair Trade products appeared on shop shelves in 1994, now there are more than 3,000
  • More than 7 million people in Africa, Asia and Latin America benefit from Fair Trade.