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Let's be friendsStudents persuade Tescos to double commitment to Fairtrade cotton uniforms
Dramatic success for People & Planet's Wear Fair campaign as retail giant agrees to double it's stock of Fairtrade cotton school uniforms
Poor prices for producers means that children are often unable to go to school and work instead on cotton farms
Image © The Guardian: Robin Hammond
The number of Fairtrade lines offered by Tescos will be increased by over 50%, while the volume of sales is projected to grow by 85% in 2010/11. This will make them the UK’s leading retailer for Fairtrade cotton school uniforms, pushing them ahead of rivals Marks & Spencers. At a time of severe economic crisis for cotton growers in places like India and West Africa, this announcement is of great significance and shows the Fairtrade movement continuing to grow in strength.
Research commissioned by People & Planet showed that nearly 70% of school and college students want their uniforms to be made from Fairtrade cotton. People & Planet students launched the nationwide Wear Fair campaign last September to make this happen. Malek Araki, a student at Ealing College says:
‘I’ve realised how big Fairtrade is and what great things it does for farmers’.
There is also a growing concern amongst parents that the school uniforms they are buying are contributing to the hunger and hardship faced by cotton producers. Anna Heywood, a mother of two from Newcastle says:
Students join our Shout Out for Fairtrade
‘I want to ensure that no one has been exploited in making my children’s school uniform but like most parents I haven’t got the time or knowledge to start investigating the supply chain of my daughter’s school jumper or all the different ethical schemes that the High street stores and supermarkets claim to sign up to. The Fairtrade label is the only guarantee that can instantly assure me that the producers are being treated fairly’.
Students are now in the midst of collecting 6000 ‘Shout Outs’ demanding increased sales of Fairtrade cotton school uniforms. They plan to deliver them to their next target, Asda, a supermarket that, students claim, has failed to make any progress on Fairtrade cotton school uniforms. Their aim is for all major retailers and independent uniform stores to follow Tescos’ move to tackle exploitation in the cotton trade.
