Protecting the Environment - A Priority for True Origin
Our Updated Environmental Policy + Meet Our New Volunteers
The True Origin Board have reviewed and revised our Environmental Policy, reinforcing the importance of the WFTO (World Fair Trade Organisation)10 Principles of Fair Trade, with an emphasis on Principle 10: Climate Action and the Protection of The Environment.
True Origin recognises that trade justice is very linked with environmental justice and that it has a responsibility to the environment beyond legal and regulatory requirements. We are increasingly concerned about the effects of climate change on our producer partners and their communities, people who are seeing the biggest impact although contributing the least. Whilst our mission is clear about the importance of empowering producers through the fair purchasing and sale of food products primarily from the developing world, we recognise that there are significant trade-offs inherent in our business model. Importing foods, often as finished goods, from overseas has an environmental impact which needs to be balanced with the developmental benefits. We will seek trading relationships that promote climate justice for our partners. Within this context, we are committed to continually improving our environmental performance as an integral part of our business strategy and operating methods, with regular review points. Where appropriate, we will encourage customers, suppliers and other stakeholders to do the same. You can
download our latest environmental policy document here.
This seems like a good time to introduce our two volunteers, Milica and Zimo (pictured above), both are masters students in Edinburgh studying Citcular Economy and they are working on two projects for us:
1. Preparation for a climate related workshop at the BAFTS conference (to be held in Edinburgh 19th – 20th May 2024).
2. Development of some clear climate/environment criteria against which to assess our own products (eg made using renewable energy, grown organically, recyclable packaging) so we can communicate more clearly the climate credentials of our products.
More on these projects to follow.
