Glenart at the Design Indaba 2011: when COFTA meets with creativity.

Stories from the field

Glenart attended the Design Indaba Expo as an exhibitor at the end of February. On display were concept samples of our African inspired crackers with content sourced from local crafters. The response was so positive that we have decided to commit a full range to Print and really go out to change the Festive demand from Eurocentric Traditional designs to our African Range.

Whilst there was interest from International buyers it was great to see the level of interest from South African buyers – and that they were supportive of the fact that we have recently been accepted by Cofta as a Fair Trade producer. As more and more local companies become members of COFTA and eventually WFTO there will come a tipping point when Fair Trade will be demanded rather than simply acknowledged. We were very thankful to the DTIKZN ( Department of Trade and Investment KwaZulu Natal) who supported us financially. Without their help we would not have been there.

Words by Rowan Rasmussen

Design Indaba 2011: A better World through Creativity.

COFTA at the Design Indaba – Cape Town International Convention Centre

The Design Indaba took place from the 25th February to the 27th February 2011 in Cape Town and brought together over 260 exhibitors evaluated and endorsed by an advisory panel of top South African designers, stylists, critics and industry experts. This set a high standard ensuring all products to be original, contemporary and innovative as well as conceived and manufactured in South Africa.

Several COFTA members were selected and presented at the Design Indaba.
Glenart Trading, Jabulani Jewellery, USiSi Design, Township Patters, Streetwires Artist Collective and African Home showcased top quality products and attracted a lot of interest amongst the visitors with their stand and specific African Designs.

In the afternoon, a networking meeting was organized by Trade and Invest Kwazulu Natal.  Interesting contacts were made and collaboration opportunities discussed.

A better world through creativity and fair trade at the Design Indaba!

Glenart Trading

 

Jabulani Jewellery

 

Rowan Rasmussen from Glenart shares his views on China.

 

Stories from the field: A trip to China

“I have just returned from China where we were selecting electronic items for our production this year (Glenart produces Christmas crackers – editor’s note). It was quite sad to see many manufacturers offering Zulu beaded items as well as the typical wooden carvings so popular with tourists visiting our country -including the ubiquitous long necked giraffes, salad bowls and grass place-mats etc.
Of interest however, is the fact that the famous “cheap labour” problem which we all face, seems to be changing. I add below a few lines – part of a report that a Chinese company making metal gadgets sends us at the beginning of each year. This report highlights the changes ahead – something that will, without a doubt, make us in South Africa more competitive in the future.
Added to all of this is the appreciation of the Chinese currency that certainly leads to higher costs, longer lead-times and inflexible capacity. The labour shortage within the coastal regions has not been improved much, everyone has to compete to pay higher wages to get workers and this has become a daily routine for us. We do not see that this problem will be solved in a short term. In order to minimize the impact, we are paying higher salaries and providing better welfare to increase the labour resource for our plants in China.”

Not To Be Missed: WFTO Biennial Conference in Mombasa, 22 – 27 May 2011

Dear Members,

On behalf of the WFTO Board, WFTO Pacific and KEFAT, we are delighted to invite you to the 11th WFTO Biennial Conference to be held in Mombasa, Kenya from the 22nd to the 27th May 2011.

In a move that demonstrates clearly the shared responsibility that Fair Trade entails, for the first time the conference is being hosted and organized jointly by WFTO Pacific and KEFAT (the Kenyan Fair Trade Association).

A stimulating program is being developed to allow members to discuss major issues around both the organizational structure of WFTO itself, and the way we do business between our member organizations and with the external market, in order to better serve our members and small producers we work for. Regional meetings will be held during the conference, and we have also taken heed of members’ clear requests in the past to allow plenty of time for informal meetings and discussions. We haven’t forgotten the entertainment either – the first inter-regional Football tournament will show delegates in a very different light (recruit your teams now and get some training in), and a tour of the historic coastal city of Mombasa is included in the program. On the final day of the conference we will hold our 2011 Annual General Meeting, and following the conference KEFAT is organizing a two-day open Fair Trade Market Place for producer organizations on 28th and 29th May.

This is a pivotal time in the history of the WFTO, and we urge you to join us to be part of the discussions and decision making, to help us build a stronger, more accountable movement for the benefit of the producers we all serve.

Register now. Please visit the Members Only site and go to the Conferences section.  Please log in first to WFTO Internal Site to be able to download the registration form.  If you forgot your username and password, please contact communications@wfto.com, you will be given new access details.

Please send the completed form to conference@kefat.org with copy to communications@wfto.com.

Travel information and accommodation will be sent to you next week.

With best wishes,

Paul Myers                     Paul Deighton
President, WFTO           Secretary, WFTO

Happy Fair 2011!

 

Hereby COFTA SA would like to wish all the fair trade producers and sympathisants in South Africa and around the globe a prosperous and successful 2011!!

We hope the new year may be a year of opportunities, a further exploration on how to deepen our commitment to the fair trade principles integrating them in new and even more profound way into our business systems.

We look forward working together as a team to make fair trade grow in South Africa, creating decent working conditions for our employees, empowering them to become self reliant and alleviate poverty through encouraging local entrepreneurship.  South Africa has an enormous potential as social awareness amongst consumers and producers is growing, and taking into account this potential, we will work to make 2011 the year where the fair trade movement gains visibility and growth so more economically deprived people can benefit the system of fair trade!

We wish all our sympathisants and stakeholders a fruitful year and we look forward working together, crosspolinating each other with ideas, inspiring the world with a fair trading system aimed to alleviate poverty being aware of our environment.

 

The COFTA South Africa Team

 

COFTA Workshop – Cape Town: paving the way to a fair future.

In November this year, on the 2d and the 3d, COFTA South Africa held its very first workshop, aiming at discussing and brainstorming the way forward for a South African network of COFTA/WFTO members.

Set in Cape Town, the meeting covered all subjects and issues, from application process improvement to core values and essential activities.

COFTA Strategic Planning workshop:

October and November were very exciting months for COFTA members in South Africa. Thanks to the support of OXFAM Wereldwinkels in the Netherlands, COFTA was able to organise a strategic planning process aimed to set up a Fair Trade network to support South African COFTA members.

The first part of this process included a stakeholder consultation to identify the South African (fair trade) landscape and to identify opportunities for collaboration between a South African COFTA network, South African fair trade organisations, support organisations and other stakeholders . The 28^th of October, during the AGM of Fair Trade South Africa, the South African Fair Trade umbrella organisation bringing together the different Fair Trade organisations (www.fairtrade.org.za), COFTA was offered space to organise this stakeholder workshop. Several COFTA members as well as applying COFTA members, government, a textile union, producer support organisations such as the Cape Craft and Design Institute (www.capecraftanddesign.org.za) , retailers and other interested parties were present and brainstormed about the value of a COFTA network in South Africa, the opportunities, practical suggestions for collaboration and how not to duplicate the work of other organisations. The opportunity for COFTA/WFTO membership expansion was stressed as well as the importance for the COFTA network to function as a platform of exchange between its members internally and between member, support organisations and the market.

During the second phase of this strategic planning process, on 2 and 3 November, COFTA members and applying members were invited to come together to discuss function and structure for a COFTA network. In this workshop, the members stressed the need for the network to focus on creating/supporting market access and the need to strengthen collaboration and exchange between members for them to support each other in business opportunities and market information. A step by step action plan was developed to start with the set up of a digital platform of exchange between members and for external stakeholders to be informed. Meanwhile the strategic plan will be formalised. Seen the scope and opportunity for COFTA in South Africa, members suggested to create a voluntary organisation. During the Global Conference of the WFTO to be held in Mombasa Kenya May 2011, the South African network will be able to present its strategic plan, to have established a functioning and informative platform of exchange and hopes to have set up an office in Cape Town.

At this stage all the ideas and information extracted from both processes are being compiled in a strategic plan report to be endorsed by all members and to be used to provide direction to the organisation for the coming 2 years. In the mean time, the digital platform for exchange has been created (www.coftasa.wordpress.com) and collaboration opportunities further explored.

For more information, please contact Anneleen De Keukelaere on Southafrica@cofta.org