Fairtrade detectives track down ethical firms
16 July 2010
Volunteer 'detectives' are to visit businesses across Manchester to help the city’s residents know where they can buy Fairtrade products.
Manchester City Council is working with United Response, a national disability charity which works in the Manchester area, to organise the Fairtrade detectives scheme, aiming to find out which businesses in the city sell ethical goods.
Volunteers from the charity, who have learning disabilities, will visit shops, cafes and restaurants across Manchester to gather their evidence.
This will then be used to produce an updated online guide for ethically conscious shoppers, explaining where Fairtrade products can be bought.
Volunteers, who will go out and about wearing special badges they have designed themselves, will also use the scheme to develop organisational and administrative skills, helping them when applying for jobs or training.
The scheme is being launched at the Nexus art gallery on Dale Street in the Northern Quarter on Tuesday 20 July 2010.
Councillor Sue Murphy, Manchester City Council's Deputy Leader and lead member on fair trade issues said: "The volunteers taking part in the scheme will learn valuable skills which they can then transfer to the workplace, while they will also be performing an important role, helping us let Manchester's shoppers know exactly where they can buy Fairtrade products.
"Manchester's residents and businesses have really taken the Fairtrade message on board, but we hope this will be an opportunity for businesses which don't yet stock Fairtrade products to start doing so - as they could be visited by the detectives soon."
Su Sayer, United Response chief executive, said "We think this is a terrific scheme and a great idea by Manchester City Council, so we were delighted to get on board. A lot of people with learning disabilities are very concerned about issues such as the environment and ethical buying, so the fact they will be getting so directly involved is exciting for them and us. This is a forward-thinking example of identifying an opportunity for people with learning disabilities to develop skills, which they can then develop in their future careers."
