China raked in more medals than any other country in the Beijing Olympic Games. However, the real winner was the Swiss Olympic Team who came first in sustainability and ethics by wearing T-shirts made of Fairtrade organic cotton.

The cotton in the Swiss shirts was grown in Mali. The shirts were manufactured in India,in a factory certified to SA8000, an independently monitored global accountability standard that sets out provisions for decent working conditions, freedom of association and living-wage.

On Wednesday 22nd of August, commuters on rush-hour subways and local trains in Toronto, Canada had something better to read. Volunteers of a Canadian organization Engineers Without Borders (EWB) handed out newspapers on Fairtrade and samples of Fairtrade products to 22,000 passer-bys at stations as a part of their Major Outreach Event.

The Fairtrade Action Network International Volunteer board met for the first time in Helsinki, Finland 8th November, 2008. The board will be in charge of coordinating the Fairtrade Action Network via three working groups: Future Action group, Information and Communication group and Financial coordination group.

In North America, Halloween is coming up with ghosts, witches and other evil creatures wandering the streets, knocking on the doors of unsuspecting citizens and asking for a treat in exchange for not performing wicked tricks – an unfair trade indeed.