Mapping Fair Trade in Oxford
Where can you find a good cup of Fairtrade tea or coffee? What shops sell Fair Trade crafts or clothes? What schools, colleges, universities, and places of worship are committed to using and promoting Fairtrade?
Twenty years ago, when we were just starting our journey as a Fairtrade City, we started to map the footprint of Fair Trade in Oxford. Now, to celebrate our 20th anniversary, we’ve done it again. You can find the map here.
Some old friends have left; some new ones have come in. What’s struck us particularly in this endeavour is how deeply embedded Fairtrade is in many retailers. Go into any Co-op, Lidl, Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury’s or Waitrose, and you’ll find a range of Fairtrade own-brand products, as well as familiar brands like CafeDirect, Clipper, and Divine or Tony’s.
Among the most familiar Fairtrade products:
- all bananas at Co-op, Sainsbury’s, and Waitrose are Fairtrade
- all own-brand chocolate confectionery at Co-op and Waitrose is, too – as is much of that at Lidl
- so are all own-brand coffee and tea at Co-op, Marks and Spencer, and Waitrose (and don’t forget Cardew’s in the Covered Market, which has a range of artisan Fairtrade coffees)
- you’ll find the largest selection of Fairtrade wine at the Co-op, but Lidl, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose are also good sources
That’s a win!
Want a wider selection of Fair Trade goods? At Headington Fair Trade, they have you covered. There’s a brilliant range of Fairtrade foods, Fair Trade crafts, and ethical cleaning products: stop in and take a look. Oxfam shops around the city have a variety of Fairtrade food and beverages, as well as ‘Sourced by Oxfam’ Fair Trade crafts; Wild Honey‘s three branches also have a variety of Fairtrade food and drink.
Fair Trade cotton launched in 2005, just after we became a Fairtrade City. Today clothes using it – as well as other Fair Trade clothing – are available in several locations. White Stuff offers Fairtrade cotton T-shirts, shirts and dresses both at their own store and in John Lewis. Headington Fair Trade has Fair Trade scarves, socks, and accessories of all types. Rainbow and Spoon opposite the Business School (near the station) has a wide range of Fair Trade and ethically traded clothing and crafts. And YOU Underwear in the Covered Market uses Fairtrade cotton and is a Fair Trade organization: not only is its underwear lovely, but it’s as fair as it gets!
If you’re looking for quick Fairtrade refreshments while you’re out and about, you’re never far from a cup of Fairtrade tea or coffee. If you’re in the city centre, you can go to Organic Deli, where they use Fairtrade organic coffee from Papua New Guinea; pop into Marks and Spencer’s cafe; or have a cup of tea at Brown’s cafe in the Covered Market. Further afield, there’s the Waitrose cafe in Botley or coffee at CrepeAffaire in Summertown. And wherever you are in the city, you can explore the options at one of the many branches of Greggs (city centre, rail station, Headington, Templars Square, Greater Leys), where not only the tea and coffee and sugar, but also the orange and apple juice – and chocolate in many of the baked goods – are Fairtrade.
After something more substantial? The Oxford Retreat (Hythe Bridge Street) and Gusto (Cowley Rd) are among the restaurants that will serve you Fairtrade tea alongside a meal.
(You may notice a chain that used to be Fairtrade that isn’t in there any more. If you see one of their branches, you might stop by and ask them to come back to the Fairtrade fold!)
What next?
It’s great to see so many places on the map. But there are still far too many places that aren’t. What we’re aiming for is a world where it’s easier to show what isn’t Fairtrade than what is.
Have a favourite shop or restaurant that promotes Fair Trade or Fairtrade goods and isn’t on the map? Let us know! Email chairoftc@gmail.com.
Have a favourite shop or restaurant that doesn’t? Why not ask them to try it? If you’d like some information you can give them, email the same address, and we’ll provide it for you.
The reality is that any shop or restaurant can provide Fairtrade: Greggs and Lidl have showed that you can do it at a low price point; other shops show you can also compete on the high-end market. It’s just a matter of will.
