Follow us on Twitter
Let's be friendsGet swapping this Fairtrade Fortnight, 22 February - 7 March
Take part in the Big Swap to Fairtrade cotton in schools and colleges
This Fairtrade Fortnight campaigners around the UK are swapping normal products for Fairtrade products. Normal tea for Fairtrade tea, normal melons for Fairtrade melons and normal cookies for Fairtrade cookies. It’s a way of showing people that by making simple changes, switching one product for another, our lifestyles can have a great impact on the lives of disadvantaged farmers.
But it’s not all about food and drink, there is a huge potential to swap non-food items such as cotton too. Neither should we stop at swapping stuff as individuals. When institutions such as schools and colleges make a swap, they can do it on a massive scale and so make a much bigger impact.
And that’s what the Wear Fair campaign for Fairtrade cotton aims to do.
Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College’s Wear Fair fashion show last month
Image © Jo Kidd
The successes of Wear Fair are growing, with schools and colleges planning to swap their school uniforms and sports kits for Fairtrade ones. Fairtrade Fortnight is the perfect opportunity for your school or college to take a step towards switching to Fairtrade cotton.
There are many things you can do, big and small, to begin making the swap, starting with raising awareness about Fairtrade cotton. Students at Princethorpe college, Belper school and John Mason school are all planning Fashion shows to let their students and staff know about the benefits of switching to Fairtrade cotton, showcasing stunning outfits designed by Annie Greenabelle and Emma Watson.
But there are many other smaller things you can do, from arranging a meeting with staff, to finding out who supplies your uniforms or sports kits, or holding a bakesale to raise money for Wear Fair. Visit our Fairtrade Fortnight pages for a list of ideas. Then decide what you will pledge to do to get your school or college to Wear Fair, upload your pledge along with a photo of your school or college, and we’ll place you on our map of cotton swapping pledges!
What will you pledge? Start the swap to Fairtrade cotton!
Find out what else is going on in Fairtrade Fortnight on our events page
