Fairtrade
West Lothian is a Fairtrade Zone with four Fairtrade Towns (Bathgate, Linlithgow, Livingston, Whitburn). The county also has a Fairtrade Village, in Uphall and a mini Fairtrade Zone in Fauldhouse and Breich Valley.
A Directory of Fairtrade in West Lothian is now available. The directory highlights the retailers, cafes and restaurants selling Fairtrade products in West Lothian. It has been produced by the Fairtrade town and village groups in partnership with West Lothian Council. We have produced a downloadable West Lothian Fairtrade Directory [296KB] . *Please note this is subject to change.
West Lothian's Fairtrade Towns
To find out what is happening in Linlithgow please click on the link below.
West Lothian Fairtrade Zone Steering Group Partners
- West Lothian Council
- Linlithgow Fairtrade Town Group
- Fauldhouse and Breich Valley Group
- West Lothian College
What is Fairtrade?
The FAIRTRADE Mark is an independent consumer label that you can find on over 4,500 products. This mark acts as a guarantee that disadvantaged producers in the developing world are getting a fair deal for their produce. In order for any product to display the FAIRTRADE Mark, it must meet high international Fairtrade standards. Often people think that Fairtrade products are mainly just tea and coffee. Nowadays this is far from reality with cotton, flowers, beer and footballs amongst the numerous Fairtrade products on offer. Producer organisations that supply Fairtrade products are inspected and certified by Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO). They receive a minimum price that covers the cost of sustainable production and an extra premium that is invested in social or economic development initiatives. These give people a chance to better their own living and working conditions.
As an individual you can make a difference by:
- Asking local shops to stock Fairtrade products.
- Asking for Fairtrade tea and coffee every time you are in your local café/restaurant.
- Encouraging the company you work for to use Fairtrade tea and coffee.
- Expand your shopping list of Fairtrade goods to include bananas, chocolate, sugar, honey, dried fruit, snacks, juice, wine and gifts, to name a few.
What can you do collectively?
To become a Fairtrade town or village a community has to achieve five goals:
- The local council must pass a resolution supporting Fairtrade, and serve Fairtrade coffee and tea at its meetings and in offices and canteens.
- A local Fairtrade steering group must be convened to ensure continued commitment to Fairtrade Town status.
- A range of Fairtrade products must be readily available in some of your area's shops and served in local cafés and catering establishments.
- Fairtrade products must be used by a number of local work places (estate agents, hairdressers etc) and community organisations (churches, schools etc).
- The steering group must attract media coverage and popular support for the campaign.
Once this has been achieved, the group is ready to apply for town status. This is also the criteria set out to achieve the county wide Zone status. If one already exists why not join the local Steering Group as new members are always welcome. See separate pages for local contact information. For more information on Fairtrade in general visit the Fairtrade Foundation website (opens new window).
Fairtrade Products
There are over 4,500 Fairtrade certified products available in the UK. These include: bananas, coffee, cotton, tea, mangoes, sugar, fruit juice, honey, snacks, chocolate and cocoa, roses, sports balls, wines and beers. For workplaces, cafes and shops, there are loads of suppliers in and around West Lothian, so you should never have difficulty in sourcing Fairtrade goods.
Contact Us
If you are interested in becoming involved in Fairtrade across West Lothian please email Fairtrade@westlothian.gov.uk (opens new window) .
