With the climate crisis in the back of their minds, more and more consumers are trying to limit their footprint. This means they’re looking at where the products they buy come from. The rule of thumb is: the greater the distance it travels, the more polluting the transport. This is generally the case, but sometimes it is inconsistent with the complex, even paradoxical reality of our globalised economy.
In 2017, the Ivorian cocoa cooperative ECAM received coaching in financial, business and marketing management from the TDC (Enabel’s Trade for Development Centre). At the end of December we spoke to Djakaridja Bitie, one of the members of ECAM. We asked him to reflect on the development of the cooperative, and about his own professional future as a TDC coach.
An example of inclusive fair trade? Ever heard of cooperative or participative supermarket projects? These citizens’ initiatives break with the tradition of mass distribution and opt for local, organic and fair trade, quality products. At the same time, they aim to remain financially accessible and promote social integration. But do they work? What is a […]
Aba Sholi in Rwanda produces internationally recognised coffee. Thanks to the help of Valérie Vangeel, one of the coaches at Enabel’s Trade for Development Centre, the cooperative has made a lot of good progress. They’ve learnt how to optimise their costs, guarantee the excellent quality of their coffee, and help their members in the fight against climate change. The cooperative has also improved its infrastructure and been able to attract more members.
“The first time I got off the bus in Boni, the driver looked at me strangely,” recalls Trui Rachels. But the residents of this village in Burkina Faso immediately agreed to work with her. This is how Chéry Faso came about: a non-profit organisation that tells the real story of African mothers through pure shea butter. Trui is happy to share her experiences.
2020, the year that will be etched into our collective memory as the Covid-19 year. Proximity plays an important role in the TDC’s activities, in our coaching programme and the Fair Trade Week. So, 2020 therefore was a year in which a lot of flexibility had to be shown. Read the annual report and discover how we did that and what successes the TDC achieved in a difficult year.
Short chain is about much more than ‘a few kilometres between the producer and the consumer’. It is firstly about the autonomy of farmers, about producers who can decide on their pricing and business operations for themselves. Sofie Vanthournout Tweet “Voedselteams (‘food teams’) is a movement of people wanting more control over how their food […]
Cobalt: you never see it, but it’s there in many of your home devices. Cobalt is an important raw material that makes batteries last longer. In 2019, 60% of global cobalt production came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The conditions under which the mineral is mined there are often abysmal. “The Fair Cobalt […]
In France, the development of local fair trade has been the result of both South-North trade initiatives, such as Ethiquable or Alter Eco, and the French small farmers movement. The national law on fair trade provides a framework for the approach, as does the ‘Origine France’ fair trade charter. And no fewer than 8 labels can be used to certify products or services. A brief overview
Making paper from elephant poo? That’s exactly what Elecosy does, a fair trade company founded in 2013 in Kanegem, West Flanders. Co-founder Frank Cockerill talks about his commitment to the environment and rural communities in Sri Lanka and India.
