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Transform Trade

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Business Model

Transform Trade is based on:

  • Local produce – support local producers and minimise transport costs
  • Sustainability – no chemicals, no plastic, where possible raw material should be natural.
  • Organic – promote the use of biodegradable fertilisers, no chemical fertilisers
  • Transparency – showing where every penny of the sale price goes.
  • Women & Children’s Rights – the right of workers, especially women and children is paramount.

Zero Waste is strongly supportive of Ethnical Way in Eglinton (due to reopen soon), the Pink Ladies Shop at Pilots Row “More And Less” and local farm outlets.

Why Zero Waste and Fairtrade?

Sadly, the great injustice of the climate crisis is that those who experience loss and damage as a result of it are often those who have contributed least to its causes. So we feel it important to support projects in the developing world that strive to meet Transform Trade principles.

Fairtrade adheres to the business model of Transform Trade except for buying locally but expands Transform Trade by having a ‘Premium’, a small percentage of the sale price is returned to the producers to develop their communities.It offers an ethnical alternative to consumers concerned about food additives and exploitation of workers.

The Zero Waste Hub aims to be a resource and a bridge to Fairtrade consumers, Fairtrade schools, Fairtrade churches and our Fairtrade City Region.

In 2014, Derry became the 50th town/city in Ireland to be awarded Fairtrade City status. This was extended to the Derry/Strabane council region in 2019.

Fairtrade’s Journey (in brief)

The early days of Fairtrade were focused on giving producers and their families adequate food, clothing and shelter along with access to education, health care and cheap loans. As campaigns against exploitative practices were producing few results, worker led co-ops were set up to pay producers a fair price for their goods and to offer training in sustainability and quality (e.g. the best coffee beans are kept for the fairtrade market because of the benefits fairtrade brings to communities).

Currently, the biggest challenge is from BIG companies setting their own ethical criteria that don’t match the Fairtrade Mark standards. Such companies are using words like fair, ethical, sustainable but unlike Fairtrade Mark their claims lack external evaluation and verification. So, customers who have developed strong relationships and trust with their suppliers, think they are using fairtrade products but unfortunately, are not.  This is a link to The Guardian Long Read podcast on the threat this poses to the difference the Fairtrade movement makes and the injustices this leads to, particularly in regard to the sexual abuse of women on tea plantations.

Keep up to date by following ‘Foyle Fairtrade Campaign’ Facebook page

Fairtrade products available in the hub

Zero Waste acknowledges that many shops sell fairtrade products, in fact, all tea and coffee (along with other products) sold in Marks & Spencers is fairtrade.

In our Zero Waste hub we aim to expand the range offered to customers, so along with tea and coffee we sell:

Sustainably sourced canned fish; Granola; fruit and nuts; jams and honeys; pasta, rice and grains; sauces; chocolate and sweets; sugars; biscuits.

Zaytoun Range: Olive Oil, Dates, Almonds and soaps.

We also have toilet rolls and a range of cleaning products.

Links to the tradecraft shop website and Traidcraft catalogue (coming soon)

So why buy Fairtrade from our Zero Waste Hub?

All money from sales go to non-profit organisations

The more we sell, the more we’ll expand our range.

Intimate Distance

Here are videos of two of the producers who came here during past Fairtrade fortnights.

Investing in our Communities

These will give you a more direct sense of the difference buying Fairtrade and us being a Fairtrade City region makes to lives of the communities Fairtrade connects us to.

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