Leading Fairtrade Workplaces
Leading Fairtrade Workplaces in Ireland
‘eShopWorld is an eCommerce company that helps global brands connect with and provide great experiences to shoppers around the world. As part of our commitment to a socially responsible footprint for our business, we are happy to say that eShopWorld uses Fairtrade products across our offices. We hope that by doing so, we are supporting the rights of farmers and workers to have more control over how their products are brought to market, how they are compensated, and their right to build a better future for themselves, their families and their communities.’
SIPTU
‘As Fairtrade is at the forefront of global wage efforts, it is incumbent on us as trade unions to bring awareness to workers that as consumers they have the power to change people’s lives. By simply purchasing Fairtrade products such as sugar, coffee or tea for the workplace, we can contribute to achieving a Living Wage for workers. This will have further impacts on local communities participating in Fairtrade, by decreasing poverty and gender inequality and generate the resources for these communities to come together to meet the challenges of climate change’
‘At Oxfam Ireland we are proud and committed to using Fairtrade products in our office. Fairtrade means better prices, decent working conditions and local sustainability. It means fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world to help beat hunger and poverty for good.’
‘Leman Solicitors are delighted to support Fairtrade’s ethical and sustainable initiatives in our workplace. As Ireland’s most innovative law firm and first paperless office, our drive for environmental efficiency has been recognised with ISO9001 certification. We are constantly seeking new ways to advocate eco-friendly policies in our workplace and be responsible in our communities’.
“Fairtrade is important to Aldi Ireland as it enables us to deliver great value in a sustainable way. We’ve been working together for nine years and we are very proud of our Fairtrade association. We sell a range of top-quality Fairtrade products that our customers love, and which greatly benefit local communities and producers. We are particularly proud to be Ireland’s biggest seller of Fairtrade roses – with over two million stems last year coming from the Sher Project Farm in Ethiopia, while the Fairtrade banana was responsible for approximately 14% of all bananas sold in our stores last year.”
John Curtin, Group Buying Director, Aldi Ireland.
Abbey Group
As a tourism company, The Abbey Group is well placed to recognise our responsibility to local sustainability and fair terms of trade for our suppliers. We are committed to acting ethically and sustainably with the products and services we provide and in our internal business practices, to safeguard our global heritage. As such, becoming a Fairtrade workplace was a fundamental goal of ours. We are proud to use Fairtrade products and support workers, communities, and local heritage.
80:20
Joining the Fairtrade at Work programme aligns what we’ve been supporting and critically debating in education contexts and in practice for over 20 years. The Fairtrade movement been part of lunch conversations, procurement practice and event planning in 80:20, and continues to be an expression of who we are as an organistion and the people behind it. Importantly, we want everyone that engages in our educational initiatives and trainings, supports our work, procures business, is employed, contracted or volunteers with us to see us walking the walk on Fairtrade in 80:20 Educating and Acting for a Better World and that actions on Fairtrade terms can directly challenge an unjust global trading system, poverty, standards of living and work conditions by supporting farmers in Africa, Latin America and South East Asia
Tony Daly, Co-ordinator, 80:20 Educating and Acting for a Better World
Lidl
Lidl is the leading retailer in Ireland for Fairtrade and Organic banana sales. Working in conjunction with our Irish supplier Global Fruit, we have been sourcing their bananas from a family business called Fresh Fruit in the Dominican Republic for over 10 years. As a company, our aim is to lead by example and our team are proud to choose Fairtrade coffee, tea and bananas on a daily basis in our Head Office.
Bewley’s Grafton Street
“We believe in being ethical and responsible in everything we do and conducting our business in a manner that improves the health of the planet and the lives of all those we deal with. In 2016 we celebrated our 20th year of involvement with Fairtrade Ireland.
After being the first company to introduce a Fairtrade product onto the Irish market, we decided that by the end of 2016 we would further grow our direct links with coffee producers in developing countries by converting 100% of our branded fresh coffee to Fairtrade. We’re proud of our progress but there’s always more work to be done. We constantly review our practices and set new sustainability goals. Whether it’s new low energy usage coffee equipment or a reduction on packaging weight.”
Leesha Kenny, Sales and Marketing Manager Bewley’s
“Carmichael is a support hub for nonprofits with 47 fantastic organizations based in our Centre. We see first hand the impact and leverage that a collective of small actions can have in transforming lives and society. Carmichael becoming a Fairtrade workplace is a simple and straightforward step that will contribute in transforming the lives of the farmers and their communities that are part of the Fairtrade.”
Diarmaid O’Corrbui, CEO of Carmichael
“We are a Cork IT company with a diverse workforce (nearly half the staff coming from different countries around the world) and its important for us to support the most widely recognized ethical label in the world. We are committed to providing Fairtrade products to our staff who recognize that by participating they have a hand in ensuring a more future for farmers, labourers, and the environment.”
Sile Murphy, Office Manager NS90
Waterford One World Centre
“Waterford One World Centre is dedicated to supporting Fairtrade and we are embedded in the principals of sustainability, empathy, solidarity, and aims to contribute to a community that recognises and acts on issues of justice and equality. Through our work on Fairtrade we are enabling people to use their power as consumers for positive social change. We are totally committed to using Fairtrade products in our workplace”
“Westside Resource Centre is a charitable organisation working to enhance and develop our local community. We are committed to Fairtrade because it brings benefits to communities in the developing world and helps to raise awareness here at home.”
James Coyne, Resource Centre Manager WRC
“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) have always striven to ensure equal opportunities of access for students, combated against exploitative natures of work with few rights or stability, and been at the forefront of social change in Ireland. The products we use in our workplace should reflect our ethos and that is why we choose Fairtrade.
We advocate on behalf of students, amplifying their voice. Fairtrade does this for farmers and workers, giving them a stronger say in decision making. Buying Fairtrade makes huge differences to farmers and that’s why we will be strengthening the knowledge and awareness of Fairtrade practices among our members as well as choosing Fairtrade at work.”
Aisling Cusack, VP for Equality and Citizenship USI
“As an innovative social enterprise dedicated to turning waste materials into new products, the Rediscovery Centre is committed to sustainable production both in what we create and consume. We recognise that investing in Fairtrade is investing in sustainability and are proud to be a Fairtrade Workplace”
Roger, Operations Manager Rediscovery Centre
“A coffee break has more than once led to that ground breaking moment on a project, where all the pieces come together or a problem’s solution is suddenly found. Knowing that the coffee, tea, and sugar we are using to fuel our ground breaking moments are having a profound and positive impact on the people who produce them as well makes it all the more magic”
Laura Duggan, Crean Salley Architects