Capturing Cardiff: How Fair Trade are your shopping bags?

(An assessed feature article for my online journalism course incorporating various online devices)

Many people are not aware that in June last year Wales became a fair trade nation but little is known about what actually makes a fair trade shop. I spent a few hours with Ruth Poole one of the directors and employees of Fair Do’s of Cardiff. Fair Do’s is a fair trade shop with ethically sourced products and is based in the Canton area of the city.




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The shop is very much a success of the ethically sourced products revolution in recent years. Although, as Ruth Poole told me they have noticed a dip in sales recently due to the economic problems, the shop has just passed a major milestone. In the last few months of 2008 Fair Do’s celebrated the tenth birthday of their current shop in Canton. Ruth has been involved in the shop throughout these ten years and also when it was in its previous home in the basement of Cathays Methodist Church with just two paid members of staff.

Now a busy shop full of fair trade products ranging from chocolate to wooden craft gifts and from pasta to clothing as well as employing five members of staff; all who are supported by a team of volunteers. Throughout the years Ruth has seen growth in popularity of ethically sourced products and the fair trade movement as a whole. Ruth became involved with ethical products through her local church. She told me she has seen the idea of ethically sourced has ‘widened its appeal’ in recent years with more and more people coming through the door.

More than just a shop?

The shop was founded by Jan Tucker who is not only often behind the till at her shop, she is heavily involved various fair trade initiatives across Wales. These include serving on the Wales Fair Trade Forum and being heavily involved in making Wales a fair trade nation.

As part of making Wales a fair trade nation there was a major emphasis on education. Fair Do’s is the home to a lot of material used by Fair Trade Wales to educate school children in the Cardiff area. With Jan’s connection and Fair Do’s popularity it is fair to suggest the shop is a key figure in fair trade products.

Events are also held at the shop to educate various groups about fair trade and ethical shopping.


What is fair trade?

Well the products stocked in the shop are sourced from the suppliers approved by the British Association of Fair Trade Shops. This means the suppliers have been granted fair trade status for their products as either the material and/or labour force involved in the product are seen as ethical. This can mean the workers have been paid a fair wage or the products (for example cotton in clothing) are sourced ethically.

Ruth Poole feels the most popular products in the shop are the craft gifts as similar products aren't easy to find. Perhaps their most impressive crafts are a selection of Zimbabwean pottery currently displayed in the shop window (right).


So then...expensive?

There is often criticism about how expensive ethically sourced products are to buy; Ruth said they often get criticism over the price of their Zimbabwean pottery. Yet, as it is hand painted and imported into the country she says the prices (for example £16 for these plates left) is a fair price. The vast majority of their products are sourced from developing countries.

In her experience Ruth says over the years prices are coming more into line with non-ethically sourced products. This is part of the reason why buying ethical products is becoming more fashionable. Fair Do’s have around 50 different suppliers now – another sign of the growth of the company and also the expansion of fair trade products nowadays. I was curious as to whether emotive television coverage about under paid workers; Ruth said although she has not precise figures, they do notice a small rise in sales after television programs based on ethical products or the opposite.


The past, future and hippies…

Every now and again I hear people campaigning for fair trade products being labelled as hippies and depicted in bright clothes. Ruth said that criticism about the fashion of ethically produced clothing has been listened to and now there is a project called the Trade Craft Exchange. This advises producers on the current trends, as this picture from the winter Trade Craft magazine shows.

Ruth admitted that when the shop moved 10 years ago she hoped it would be successful but didn’t expect it to have been as popular as it has become today. Her hope for the future is that everything becomes fair trade with all workers being paid a fair wage.

…many thanks to Ruth Poole and Fair Do’s for allowing me to interview them and take photos of the shop.

Hear more from Ruth here...