Join us for the International Fair Trade Towns Conference taking place in Edinburgh this August, as we mark 25 years of the Fair Trade Towns Movement.

In the capital city of the world’s second Fair Trade Nation, Edinburgh will be celebrating both the city’s 900^th anniversary, and the 21^st year as a Fairtrade Community. Together, at this special event, we will explore the theme Your Town, Our World: Fair Trade Communities & Local Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

We all know that current global issues like poverty, inequality, and the climate crisis show that conventional economic approaches are failing, and that Fair Trade offers a sustainable alternative. Fair Trade enterprises are leading the way in demonstrating that balancing financial success with the wellbeing of people and the planet is possible.

This 18^th International Fair Trade Towns Conference gives us the opportunity to come together, following the success of last year’s conference hosted in Drakenstein, South Africa, and to plan our next steps as grassroots campaigners. The principles and practices of Fair Trade support the Sustainable Development Goals, community wellbeing and enterprise, and an equitable and sustainable world. As a Fair Trade campaigner and activist, your contribution is essential this year in Edinburgh as we tackle the challenges we face as a movement, along with the local success stories, and the story of Fair Trade as vital to a new global economy.

Let’s come together on 30-31 August 2025 in Edinburgh from around Scotland and across the world as local changemakers ready to gain the support needed for systemic change and for global sustainable development.

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and invite representation at this year’s International Fair Trade Towns Conference in Edinburgh from communities around the world, especially from people whose voices may often go unheard. We are also planning to live stream and / or film the sessions where this is possible, and more information will follow about this. Everyone is welcome.

You can click here to access the current programme, but as speakers are confirmed, this will be updated and change over time. Please note also that the welcome event takes place on the evening of Friday 29 August, and it would be great to have as many delegates as possible there.