Dreaming of a fair Christmas

With pumpkins discarded, bonfires snuffed and the fireworks all fizzled out, our minds swiftly turn to Christmas and the search for some gift shopping inspiration.

With the festive season looming large, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of presents available, both online and in tinsel-laden stores up and down the country.

One way to cut a swathe through the surfeit of ‘stuff’ is to select gifts with a social conscience. 'Fairtrade' is a common term to find on our bananas, coffee and chocolate, but what about on higher value gifts? There’s a great sense of achievement in finding the ‘perfect’ gift for our nearest and dearest, and how much better if what we choose to buy also gives something back to others too.

Over 400 companies are licensed to use the Fairtrade mark on products in the UK

There are many ethical and sustainable choices we can make when it comes to Christmas shopping. Among the many Fairtrade offerings are Liz’s own Botany Collection, her award-winning gold and silver jewellery collection made from precious metals ethically extracted by artisan miners at the Sotrami mine in Peru. The Sotrami community has been completely turned around by the Fairtrade Foundation: no children down the mines, profits put back into education and basic health and safety equipment (which didn’t exist before) and every miner fairly paid, with an additional community levy providing school buildings and medical support.

In the UK there are 617 communities with Fairtrade town, city or county status, 8,222 Fairtrade churches and faith groups, and 1,737 schools and 177 universities with Fairtrade awards

But the benefits of Fairtrade aren’t just for those who produce the products we buy. The reality is we all benefit, as Fairtrade helps to shed light onto an often very dark industry.

In 2015, the Fairtrade Foundation unveiled a new ‘I Do’ Fairtrade Gold campaign, to “stamp out practices that have tarnished the jewellery industry’s reputation”. These include the release of toxic substances (such as mercury and arsenic) into the environment. Their aim is to get more consumers asking for Fairtrade jewellery; if the demand is there, many more stockists will ultimately choose to ‘go fair’. We all have a part to play here in sending an important message to the jewellery world that we need to make gold and silver mining much more sustainable. And not just for humanity, but also for the environment and our planet.

Jewellery is a treasured gift, often given to mark memorable milestones and worn daily with devotion. Pieces from Liz’s Fair and Fine collection are purchased with the knowledge that you’re giving something truly special – gorgeous items that can be worn against the skin secure in the knowledge they’ve been sourced with genuine love and care.

Choose Fairtrade and give a gift that also gives hope to others this Christmas.