West Lothian Council delivers

Fairtrade in West Lothian

West Lothian has four Fairtrade Towns Bathgate, Linlithgow, Livingston and Whitburn.  And one Fairtrade Village in Uphall. The council has supported each West Lothian Fairtrade group through the process of both gaining their Fairtrade status, and maintaining it once it has been achieved. In 2010 West Lothian Council agreed to develop its support by aiming to achieve Fairtrade Zone status for the county as part of Scotland’s aim of becoming a Fairtrade Nation.  A Steering Group has been established to drive this forward.

• West Lothian Council
• Linlithgow Fairtrade Town Group
• Livingston Fairtrade Town Group
• Whitburn Fairtrade Town Group
• Uphall Fairtrade Town Group
• Bathgate Fairtrade Town Group
• Breich Valley
• West Lothian College
• West Lothian Chamber of Commerce
• Voluntary Sector Gateway West Lothian
• West Lothian Leisure

There are also a new group - Breich Valley which is aiming to achieve their own recognition as we all move forward. For more information on the Town and Village groups see individual links on this page.

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?

You can work towards having a Fairtrade Church, school, workplace, shop,  restaurant, college or university or become a Fairtrade town or village: 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 click here Fairtrade Foundation. 

Fairtrade Products: There are over 4,500 Fairtrade certified products available in the UK. These include: Bananas Citrus Coffee Cotton Tea Mangoes Sugar Fruit juice Honey Snacks Chocolate and cocoa Roses Sports balls Wines and beers For more information click here. 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.

Updated: 14/05/12