Fairtrade Fortnight Part 2

Trade Interchange’s aspiring bakers rolled up their apron sleeves earlier this week to put together a humble Fairtrade bake sale for their fellow colleagues, and the result was some ethically-sourced goodies which brightened everyone’s day!

Some of the treats on offer included Fairtrade mini ‘Mini Egg’ cheesecakes as well as cookies and brownies served with a rich chocolate dip made with Fairtrade sugar – enough to make your mouth water.

The efforts of our volunteer bakers and generous contributions resulted in a total of £19.50 being raised to be donated to Fairtrade, a fabulous result for everyone involved!

Everyday ingredients used to make delicious baked goods similar to those we tasted during the course of the bake sale are threatened; both unsustainable farming practises and workers’ rights abuses in supply chains create ethical dilemmas for brands and the customers who trust in them. Ingredients as basic as sugar, chocolate, and coffee are at risk of falling foul of modern slavery practises, and the nature of the abuse makes it difficult to recognise and counter in developing countries.

Farming the ingredients is becoming increasingly difficult as well. Extreme weather patterns, becoming more and more common due to climate change, are negatively impacting the crop yield of farmers across the globe. Flooding, drought, and severe temperature differences are directly impacting the future of farming, and the consequences could be far-reaching.

It is abundantly clear that change is a necessary and unavoidable solution to these issues which affect everyone. From individual efforts to corporate-wide initiatives, every endeavour undertaken has the potential to make a real difference.

Little changes, such as buying Fairtrade products where possible, to bigger changes, such an enacting more rigorous ESG and sustainability policies company-wide, will all have an impact.

ARCUS^® Supplier Management Software (SIM) enables suppliers to on-board themselves using configurable questionnaires, making it easier for businesses to meet these ESG targets and sustainability goals and ensuring compliance as standard. Our Corruptions Perceptions Index and Universal Human Rights Index APIs streamline the process of ensuring compliance by receiving data direct from its source, meaning the process of qualifying and on-boarding new suppliers becomes more efficient than ever before.