Lancaster district renews Fairtrade status
Members of the Lancaster, Morecambe and District Fairtrade Group present the certificate to the mayor, Councillor Roger Mace
The Lancaster District has renewed its commitment to supporting Fairtrade.
The Lancaster district was the first Fairtrade District in the world, following an application by the city council in 2004 that was approved by the Fairtrade Foundation, and remains the only one.
It was recently renewed, leading to the Lancaster, Morecambe and District Fairtrade Group being issued with a new certificate.
Lancaster’s new Mayor, Councillor Roger Mace, was welcomed to the AGM of the Group on Monday 15th May by its chair, Margaret Rand.
She presented the Mayor with the new Fairtrade Foundation Certificate, a copy of which will be displayed in the town halls at Lancaster and Morecambe.
The Fairtrade Mark on a product shows that producers receive a price that covers their production costs together with a Fairtrade Premium, so they can invest a little in their business or in community projects of their choice.
Workers have rights to decent wages, to join unions, and to work in safe conditions, and this helps to prevent exploitation of the vulnerable.
The Mayor spoke about the ethical requirement to be fair in all trading relationships: "No trader should exploit the economic circumstances or disadvantages of those with whom they trade. The objective must always be to trade fairly with one's trading partners. That involves costs and obligations we should be willing to bear, difficult though it may be to put these ideas into practice."
Last updated: 19 May 2017