Members of the Sustainability Commission are backing a campaign to make Brighton & Hove the first Fairtrade city in the south of England.

The campaign will be promoted throughout the city during Fairtrade Fortnight, a two-week programme of events from March 1 to 14. The event will be launched with a Fairtrade Fair and Farmers’ Market at the Friends Centre in Ship Street on February 28.

To become a Fairtrade City, Brighton & Hove must have several retail outlets stocking the products, and must encourage both private and public sector to use Fairtrade goods.

According to Jeff Clark-Meads, spokesperson for Brighton and Hove Fairtrade, “People in Brighton & Hove are sophisticated and aware, and there is a great demand for Fairtrade products,” he said. ”We want to encourage people to make a positive decision to taste great tea, coffee and chocolate, knowing that every time they buy a Fairtrade product someone in a less developed part of the world will benefit.”