Friday, April 17, 2009

Fair trade in demand

"Consumers don’t just expect companies to do no harm in communities they source from, but to actually contribute to development, a major international survey commissioned by FLO International indicates – and they appear to be sticking by their principles despite the economic woes.

In recent weeks two major manufacturers, Cadbury and Mars, have both made pledges to make ethical sourcing a core part of their strategy in the coming years (although Mars' is geared towards sustainable production rather than Fairtrade). Some commentators have expressed surprise at the timing of these pledges, since the recession is causing great attention to spending, especially on treats and luxury goods.

However the new report, commissioned by Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) and conducted by Globescan, indicates that huge increases in sales of Fairtrade products in a number of European countries in 2008, compared to 2007."

3 comments:

sarah said...

Rami, thank you for the blog, book and information...
An organic farmer in France is asking if we can find in Lebanon any untreated seeds for Desi Chickpeas. He's having a hard time sourcing untreated, un-irradiated seeds.
Would you have any leads on that matter?
Thank you again

Rami Zurayk said...

Hello Sarah,

We have plenty of local untreated chick pea seeds from local sources, but it is not on the trade market. How much does the farmer want? If it is a small quantity (like 1 kilo)I can take some with me when I go to France next June and put it in the post.

sarah said...

Thanks for your visual,& written visit to Erbil.
To get back on the chikpeas issue: is there a way to e-mail you or call you?
The farmer would like a kilo of a version with a short period in ground: something that can be planted in may and not go through a potential frost
best