Welsh Mountain Zoo on board with Fairtrade Fortnight 2020

Fairtrade Fortnight is back once again and the Welsh Mountain Zoo is celebrating its commitment to operating a sustainable and ethical organisation.

Running from Monday 24 February – Sunday 8 March 2020, the UK-wide initiative aims to recognise the achievements of individual businesses operating under fairtrade principles.

The Zoo has shifted its emphasis further towards ethically sound products in recent years and is incredibly proud of its achievements in sourcing and supplying products that not only reflect the nature and vision of Fairtrade Fortnight, but support enterprises across the globe.

Andrew Crabtree, Visitor Services Manager at the Zoo explained: “As a retailer we are naturally driven by the needs and demands of the customers and we are definitely seeing a shift towards more ethical and sustainable items led by children, encouraging parents and adults – which is brilliant.”

“We work with Cadwyn, a wholesale supplier who source the bulk of their products from Africa. This includes a range of Swazee candles that have been crafted in various sizes and shapes, and are hand painted by members of a cooperative. Other products include a range of wooden coasters hand made in Nigeria as well as fair trade leather bracelets.”

Other products include soapstone, hand carved in various sizes and shapes and modelled into safari animals, alongside a unique range by Nature Planet which creates furry toy animals developed using 100% recycled plastic bottles. Bamboo products include mugs and dishes, whilst some other toys are made from bio-plastic, a product that is made from 94% sugarcane.

Jen Jesse, Director of Operations and Administration at the Welsh Mountain Zoo added: “Operating a sustainable organisation is of course incredibly important to the Zoo and this notion and vision must be felt on a broader level. We're proud of our achievements to date but we are continually exploring and considering new ways where we can integrate other sustainable measures, practises and processes into the wider Zoo operation."