Happy almost Earth Day! Here’s your roundup of Fair Trade news and updates:
VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE MOCK HERSHEY’S AD
The Raise the Bar Hershey Campaign brand jamming contest entries are in, and wait till you see them! The mock Hershey ads, slogans and videos call on Hershey to eliminate child and forced labor from its cocoa supply chain, and shift sourcing to Fair Trade. For one week only campaign coordinators Green America, International Labor Rights Forum and Global Exchange invite you to vote for your favorite contest entry finalist.
Graphic Credit: Green America
The deadline for voting is Tuesday, April 26th, so vote soon. The winners of each category will receive a Fair Trade chocolate gift basket, and the overall winner will receive a $1000 grand prize. Winners will be announced April 28th, the day of Hershey’s annual shareholder’s meeting.
CAMPAIGN MAKES IT EASY FOR SHOPPERS TO TELL SUPERMARKETS TO GO FAIR TRADE
Green America is making it easy for you to help Supermarkets go Fair Trade. From Green America’s website:
Many Fair Trade products – from coffee to cocoa to tea to fruits – belong on supermarket shelves. Yet, most supermarkets are only offering a fraction of the Fair Trade products that are available, and are not actively promoting the products they do offer. Please join us in encouraging supermarkets to sell more Fair Trade products and to educate their customers about the importance of purchasing them.
Here’s how it works: Simply go online to select from a list of supermarkets that you shop at and send them a message asking them to offer more Fair Trade products and promote them.
EASTER COLOR-IN LETTER FOR KIDS
More chocolate is sold in the US at Easter than any other time of the year except Halloween. And Hershey manufactures Cadbury Crème Eggs and other products sold in the US.
This downloadable/printable Easter color-in letter encourages Hershey CEO David West to shift towards Fair Trade cocoa. So print it out, color it in, and mail it in to add your voice to the Fair Trade mix.
WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST
Want your Tee Design on an AP T-shirt? Submit your custom designs: April 1 – May 8!
Autonomie’s Project’s commemoration of World Fair Trade Day (May 14th), in partnership with the Fair Trade Resource Network and Fair Trade Boston, is a World Fair Trade Day Tee Design Contest. They’re looking for folks to come up with a new, unique design for one of their adult tees to be sold on AutonomieProject.com. Visit Autonomie’s Project’s website for details.
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:
Article: US market has ‘barely scratched the surface’ of Fair Trade market potential
Article: Cooperative Coffees Products Get “Fair for Life” Certification
Blog Post: Artisans in India Share Examples of Fair Trade Impact
Article: More Australians look to fair trade eggs
Check back here on our Fair Trade blog for more Fair Trade News Round-Ups…your one-stop shop for current Fair Trade news and events. And if you’ve got big Fair Trade news to share, email me!