“International trade is an engine for inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction, and contributes to the promotion of sustainable development,” reads paragraph 68 of the?. In parallel, the document?, published by the?, states that fair trade initiatives “often aim to a fairer distribution of gains along international value chains.” This is one of the reasons why fair trade has become a popular topic in institutions of higher education.?
The? , a member institution of the?United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI)?in Spain is a medium-sized university whose mission, vision, and values include the commitment to social and global engagement, defending and preserving diversity and equity, and promoting sustainability. For half a century, the university has evolved significantly in its actions, particularly toward sustainability. Fair trade is one of the critical areas in which different institution components are actively involved.
UC’s engagement with fair trade commitments dates from the early ’90s when the university association “University and Solidarity” began the promotion of fair-trade principles within the community through awareness and outreach activities and the effective introduction of fair-trade products within the university ecosystem. This engagement has evolved over these last decades incorporating different focus points, development plans, and strategies to boost the adherence of the academic community to fair trade principles.
The rationale behind this engagement with fair trade pursues incorporating its key principles at all levels of the academic community. Thus, it is committed to embedding ethical public procurement and fair-trade products into its daily activities, advocating for responsible purchasing and fair trade, and strengthening its connections with various stakeholders. That aside, an interdisciplinary “Fair Trade Group” was established, composed of students, and academic and administrative staff, in charge of conducting assessments about awareness actions on fair trade.
The group also proposes new activities and designs outreach campaigns. In addition to being certified as a “Fairtrade University” due to compliance with requirements related to ethical public purchase, the university has been promoting a World Fair Trade Day, which is commemorated yearly in May, with several activities such as exhibits, lectures, debates, and fair-trade products tasting on campus. The university also promotes teaching and research actions on fair trade through the involvement of civil society organizations working on these issues.
Last year, as a countermeasure to the well-known “Black Friday” campaign, the “Fair Friday” initiative was established in alignment with the different targets of?. The latter seeks to provide a space for reflection to reconsider the massive and “emotional” purchase behind global marketing initiatives and promote instead fair trade products as an alternative. Exhibitions, film screenings, and meetings are organized to reinforce critical thinking within this framework.????
As the first theme of the campaign, the textile industry was scrutinized. And for late November this year, the emphasis will be on electronic devices, where the building pieces come from, and where the electronic trash ends. Moreover, recently, a series of short talks were created, so the audience can interact with civil society organizations and product distributors to review the impact of fair trade policies on the countries’ communities of product origin. In line with this, all cafeterias on campus now have to offer fair trade products to the academic community.
“In times of increasing social inequalities and polarization, universities need to be awareness and reflection spaces offering different perspectives about citizens’ individual actions implications in a globalized world,” said Olga M. Conde, Director of the Solidarity Action Office. Along the same lines, Matxalen Llosa, from the Vice-Rectorate for Internationalization and Global Engagement, stressed, “promoting fair trade is a must.” “Institutions with social responsibility like those of higher education should set an example,” she added.
