Today marks the last day of Fairtrade Fortnight 25th February – 10th March 2013. The Fairtrade foundation are calling upon British people to question the ethical choices behind the products we purchase and the foods we eat. However, I don’t think it is just something we should consider for a fortnight; I think we should be using Fairtrade products all the time.
Buying Fairtrade products, means that the farmers and the workers in developing countries, who make these products, get a fair wage for their hard work. It creates a sustainable living for them and enables them to build and improve their local environment, health systems and economy.
I had always considered Fairtrade products to be food, but I was so wrong! Did you know, that even products such as baby massage oil and nappy rash balms can be Fairtrade? So can body scrubs, cotton wool, alcohol, homeware, toys, clothing and gold! The list is pretty impressive nowadays!
I was lucky enough to be sent some Fairtrade products to sample. You know, to see how they measure up to the usual products we buy! They came in this adorable Fairtrade bag…
First up, Organic Monkey Hello Mellow Organic Massage Oil (Fairtrade baby massage oil)! Wow… this stuff smells divine! We haven’t ever really tried baby massage on the twins. It never crossed our minds. Bunny hated massage, when she was a baby. I think I shall definitely give baby massage a go now though. I tested this product on my own skin. It feels really nice and you only need a tiny tiny bit, so it will last for ages. I am quite addicted to the smell of it too. The best part is, it’s not only Fairtrade, but it is made solely of natural organic ingredients, so it’s good for your skin, and your babies skin. It get’s even better, because Organic Monkey also support children’s health charity Sparks. So by buying Organic Monkey products, you are supporting smallholder farmers in developing countries, promoting organic products, Fairtrade products, natural products and also supporting a great charity.
I also sampled the BumFluff Nappy Balm. Again made from all natural ingredients and feels wonderfully moisturising. I’ve been using this product a lot lately as the twins have been teething their 8th tooth each and suffering bad nappy rash as a result. It’s brilliant. Whilst it was designed as a prevention for nappy rash, a liberal application after every nappy change has healed Tiny and Fluffy’s nappy rash really quickly.
What else can you do to support Fairtrade? Well you could head over to the Fairtrade website and sign the petition to ensure that farmers are paid a fair wage for their hard work, create a mini marcher to storm parliament on your behalf. This petition will be given to David Cameron on May 11th, ahead of the G8 summit, in order to make the UK government “take a step” to go further for smallholder farms.
Here is my little mini marcher…
Disclaimer: I did not receive any form of payment for writing this post. I was given three Organic Monkey products to test, but all words are my own honest opinion.
Leave a Reply