The Co-operative difference
Right from the start of the Fairtrade Towns movement in the UK, co-operatives and co-operative members have been there, standing alongside Fairtrade campaigners to raise awareness and understanding of Fairtrade in the local community and work towards achieving the goals necessary to becoming a Fairtrade Town. The support offered by co-operatives takes various forms, from publicising events to donating Fairtrade goods for sampling, providing small grants or having a co-operative representative on the Fairtrade Town group steering committee. In these diverse ways, Fairtrade Town groups and co-operatives are working together, strengthening each other’s activities and making progress in their shared commitment to Fair Trade and social justice.
This section provides an overview of the co-operative movement and gives plenty of helpful guidance about how Fairtrade Town groups can work with their local co operatives to achieve their goals. It also provides introductory information on what it means to become a Fairtrade Town, examines how co-operatives fit into the global Fair Trade movement and illustrates how co-operatives have been trading fairly for 165 years!