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Celebrities and Fairtrade

by Jenifer Pinner

A large number of celebrities including Chris Martin, Minnie Driver and Radio Head’s Thom Yorke, are using their popularity and influence to voice their concerns for the deprived, urging the public to abandon well-known manufactured brands in favour of Fairtrade products.

Chris Martin became one of the leading celebrity campaigners for Fairtrade

Intrigued by Fairtrade and the amount of celebrity involvement that it has inspired, I delved further to understand the impact that these well-known faces are creating for this worthy cause.

In 2003 only a marginal number of people would have recognised the term ‘Fairtrade’ with just 150 Fairtrade products on the market; now there are 1,300 and the cause is becoming more widely advertised. Supermarkets and shops such as Sainsbury’s and Mark’s and Spencer’s stock a wide variety of Fairtrade products (including, as I read in The Times, the decision by Marks and Spencer’s to manufacture all their clothes from Fairtrade cotton- now we can wear our Bridget Jones knickers with a conscience!), at the same price as branded products.

Popular coffee houses, such as Starbucks, are also proud to support the campaign. However, before we rush out to buy our first bar of Fairtrade chocolate and declare our support for the fund, some people may still ask, exactly what is it? The International Federation for Alternative Trade (IFAT) defines Fairtrade as: “a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers – especially in the South.”

This can only be achieved, however, by changing the unfair rules of world trade, which, presently, favours the rich multinationals. Although trade is one of the most predominant influences in the world and is a source of unprecedented wealth, the producers of the products we consume are, unfortunately, overlooked. Rich countries are reaping all the financial benefits and, consequently, an unfair equilibrium is created between the rich and the poor; prosperity has gone hand in hand with mass poverty.

Bono realises that his fame can be a means to help people around the World

World trade has so much potential to rid poverty around the globe yet it is not being utilised in the right way. Surprisingly, this is where our committed celebrities break away from their guitar-playing, macrobiotic-yoga existence and come, armed and ready to, essentially, ‘save the day’.

As we know, celebrities possess an undeniable amount of authority, not in the political sense, (with the exception of Arnie- I’ll be back- Schwarzenegger) but because they epitomise the voice of the people- the public will listen to them and acknowledge what is said. It seems quite farcical that, because they are ‘famous’, they can ‘change the world and make it a better place’- excuse the pun. But celebrities like Bono and Bob Geldof are obviously aware that their status as pop singers is hugely significant because of their participation in a great deal of fantastic work to help people living such impecunious lives- last year’s Live8 concert says it all.

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