Nimmity Zappert, Chair

The motivation and vibrancy of our members are vital in achieving this. Whenever I attend a Fair Trade event, I am so impressed by the motivation and dedication of our members.  

I believe people have such passion for the movement because Fair Trade has such a tangible positive impact on the world. We are not lobbying others to go out and change the world – we are changing it.

Each time you attend a market or seek out a Fair Trade shop to buy a Fair Trade Christmas present, you are directly contributing to the livelihood and well-being of the person that made it. Many of you, our members, do much more than support the movement by buying Fair Trade. You organise markets and events, encourage Fair Trade in your workplace or stock Fair Trade items in your retail store. Some of you have devoted your whole working life to Fair Trade, running businesses dedicated to supporting the cause.

With 2020 on our doorstep, I extend an enormous thank you to you - our vibrant Fair Trade community for your continued support. As many of you know, the association has had some challenges over the past few years. Without the continued support of you, our members, we would not be here today.

Introducing the new Executive Committee

As another year ticks over, I would also like to express sincere thanks to Kelly Upton, Barton Walsh, Nicole Lamond and Anna Spoore who gave their time and support as members of the committee in the past year.

It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you the members of our new Executive Committee; Cecile Menard as Vice-Chair, Cynthia Cheong as Secretary, Andy Good continuing as Treasurer and Rosemary Frank, Anna Wythes and Rev. John Martin as general committee members.

What’s Next

We have lots of great ideas about how we can support members and grow the Fair Trade movement in Australia and New Zealand. We will share these with you as we work through them over the next few weeks and months. More importantly, we would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions on how we can support you in all the work you are doing. So please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with your suggestions.

Here are a couple things we are already working on.

Events in our Network

Coming up to Christmas, many of our members are running or attending markets selling Fair Trade goods. We have agreed to promote and share the details of markets and pop-up shops where Fair Trade members are present and we know that Fair Trade items are being sold. This is not a full endorsement of these activities, however, it is important to increase our visibility in our network and with our target audience.  The criteria we have set for promotion of markets and pop-up shops are a work in progress and will be reviewed in the New Year.

You will start to see events listed on our website, Facebook page and promoted on social media. If you have an event you would like to the association to promote, please email us at info@fta.org.au for more information.

If you are a Fair Trade of Australia and are attending an event, please let us know and share your social media handles with us so that we can tag you in our posts and let people know where to find you.

Blog

You will see that this message has been published as a blog on our website. We aim to publish content on a regular basis and share on social media. If you are interested in submitting a blog article please email us at info@fta.org.au. Not all blog articles will be able to be accepted, however, we are very interested in including content from our members when we can.

Members & Friends Survey

As I mentioned above, our association would not exist without our members. We plan to circulate a survey shortly to capture your input, thoughts and feedback.

Now is our Time

Ethical consumerism is on the rise. This is a great thing. According to PWC’s Retail Consumer Market Insights report from July 2019 , 53% of shoppers would pay more for ethical and sustainable products.

 Never before have the founding principles of Fair Trade been more relevant or important. Ethical consumers are asking:

•       How was it made?
•       Are the people making my purchase getting treated and paid fairly?
•       What impact does the item and its manufacture have on our environment?

 Fair Trade ticks all of these boxes and more. Fair Trade also gives the small local producer a voice in an ever noisier world, by giving them access to markets.

 Every Fair Trade item you buy, every Fair Trade item you sell, every time you spread the message of Fair Trade – you are having an impact.

 Let’s do it.

Nimmity Zappert

Chair, Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand