Sportsballs Qanda Essay

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Fairtrade Sports Balls Q & A 1. What are Fairtrade sports balls? They are hand-made sports balls including stitched, glued and moulded varieties which have been produced in line with the internationally agreed Fairtrade standards and are supplied by independently certified producer organisations. You can buy Fairtrade outdoor and indoor footballs, rugby balls, beach volleyballs and basketballs which come in a wide variety of sizes and qualities. Machine-stitched balls are not covered by the Fairtrade sports ball standard. 2. Where can I buy Fairtrade sports balls from and how much do they cost? Fairtrade footballs, rugby balls, indoor and beach volleyballs and basketballs from Pakistan can be purchased from Oxfam shops, Blackwell’s bookshops and online at www.fairdealtrading.com. They cost from £4.95 for a mini rugby ball up to £35.80 for a ‘Pro Ice’ football. For further details see our website www.fairtrade.org.uk/products_sportsballs.htm 3. Where do Fairtrade sports balls come from? The Fairtrade certified sports balls on sale in the UK come from the producer organisation, Talon, Sports, located in the Sialkot district of Pakistan (www.fairtrade.org.uk/products_sportsballs.htm). Pakistan is the world’s primary exporters of sports balls and around 40% of the Sialkot working population is dependent, directly or indirectly, on this industry for their livelihood. The region is particularly well-known for its production of hand-stitched balls and estimates suggest that as many as 60% of the world’s footballs are made in and around Sialkot. 4. Why are Fairtrade sports balls needed? Poverty is widespread in Pakistan with over 30% of the population estimated to live under the national poverty line. Sialkot is densely populated and it is estimated that around 40,000 people in the area are involved in the sports ball industry. Industry wages are often below the

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