Stockbridge Primary School pupils ‘took a step in 2013’ with Lord Provost Donald Wilson and Scotmid’s Malcolm Brown to mark the start of Fairtrade Fortnight yesterday.
Running from Monday 25 February until Sunday 10 March, the campaign will see a series of themed events taking place across the city, including food and drink tastings, talks, presentations, fairs, fetes and the presentation of the Lord Provost’s Fair Trade Awards 2013.
Fairtrade Fortnight brings together consumers, retailers, licensees, businesses, producers and campaigners nationwide to promote awareness and sales of Fairtrade products and to campaign on issues of trade justice.
The theme this year is ‘Take a Step in 2013’, encouraging shoppers to go further by supporting Fairtrade farmers and workers by purchasing products with the FAIRTRADE Mark or encourage their local shop, school, church or even MP to do the same.
Lord Provost Donald Wilson said: “The packed programme of events planned for the next two weeks is testament to how far Fairtrade Fortnight in Edinburgh has come since we were awarded Fairtrade status in 2004. Through this campaign and the Lord Provost’s Fairtrade Awards we are aiming to encourage more and more people to become ethical shoppers while also recognising the fantastic contribution that individuals and businesses are making to fair trade throughout Edinburgh.”
Scotmid Co-operative hosted the launch in their Raeburn Place store and will be promoting Fairtrade with local schools and supporting a range of community events over the coming fortnight.
Malcolm Brown, Head of Corporate Communications for Scotmid Co-operative said: “Fairtrade Fortnight is all about raising awareness of the difference we can make to millions of people in developing countries by simply supporting Fairtrade. Scotmid is proud to have been a champion of Fairtrade for many years. This fortnight we’ll be giving talks at local schools, holding Fairtrade events in our stores and supporting many other initiatives to educate people of all ages about why Fairtrade is so important.”
