Day 4
General Synod Reaffirms Commitment to Fairtrade
General Synod has passed a Motion recognising the significant part that the Fairtrade Foundation has played in raising awareness of the challenges facing farming communities in many parts of the world.
General Synod has passed a Motion recognising the significant part that the Fairtrade Foundation has played in raising awareness of the challenges facing farming communities in many parts of the world, and in particular the impact of the climate change in our generation and reaffirming the commitment of churches and individuals to use fairtrade products.
Proposing Motion 18, Bishop Ferran Glenfield (Chair of Bishops’ Appeal) said that one of the keys in understanding the world we live in is choice and especially the choices we make as consumers. For the past 30 years the Fairtrade Foundation has highlighted the significant differences that can be made in the lives of others by the choices we make about everyday products like tea and coffee, fruit and flowers, he said.
He explained that the Fairtrade Foundation worked with farmers and producers to ensure that those who produce the goods are paid a fair wage for their work while also providing farmers with climate change awareness and training in fragile environments.
Members of a previous General Synod agreed to adopt the use of Fairtrade goods for parish and church functions. Now, Bishop Glenfield said, as the Fairtrade Foundation marked 30 years of championing farmers and producers from the Global South, the church needed to recommit to Fairtrade.
“Our supermarket choices can make a difference to the lives of people. In this simple way we can transform people’s lives in some of the poorest communities in the world and we can treasure the earth through sustainable farming,” he stated.
Seconding the motion, Gillian Purser, observed that General Synod was committed to reducing the impact of climate change with a number of individual and parish initiatives.
She informed Synod that environmental protection was a key element of Fairtrade’s view of sustainability with a focus on better agricultural practices which increase productivity and quality. For example, she said, environmental and social footprint of Fairtrade cotton was five times lower than conventional cotton farming.
Fairtrade is 50% owned by producers with over 1.5 million farmers involved in 75 countries and extending to around 6,000 products. She urged members to spread the word to others about Fairtrade and added that there were resources available to inform others.