Fairtrade first
03 March 2006
LJMU first university in Merseyside to be awarded Fairtrade status
Fairtrade Fortnight will get off to flying start in Liverpool, with the announcement that LJMU is the first university in Merseyside to be awarded Fairtrade status.
Fairtrade Fortnight (6-19 March 2006) is a national campaign designed to promote decent prices and working conditions for producers in developing countries.
LJMU will receive its official Fairtrade award on Monday 6 March from Louise Mollring of The Day Chocolate Company on behalf of the Fairtrade Foundation. The Day Chocolate Company is best known for making Divine Chocolate, which is made exclusively with Fairtrade cocoa beans from Ghana.
Peter Hinton, LJMU’s Executive Director for Infrastructure Planning, said: “Fairtrade is a key strand in the battle against global poverty because it ensures that a fair price is paid for produce from developing countries. LJMU and the Liverpool Students’ Union have worked very hard to achieve this status and we are very proud to be named a Fairtrade University.”
LJMU and the Liverpool Students’ Union are now committed to selling as many Fairtrade products as possible in their campus shops, cafes, bars and vending machines. The University will also serve Fairtrade foods at all internal meetings, hospitality events and conferences.
Sonia Kearns, LJMU’s Student Union President said: “Now more than ever, students want to help address the real issues at the heart of today’s global society. LJMU’s students are passionate about challenging injustice and achieving Fairtrade status is one small step towards eradicating poverty in the developing world.”
Over 1,000 Fairtrade products are now available in the UK. Worldwide, the Fairtrade labelling network works with 500 producer organisations and over 400 traders in 58 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America. Two years ago it was estimated that Fairtrade sales across the globe delivered an extra $100m to producers in these countries, benefiting 5 million people – farmers, workers and their families.
LJMU’s Senior Lecturer in Social Enterprise, Bob Doherty, who also chairs the City of Liverpool's Fairtrade Joint Steering Group, said: “The fact that LJMU has been awarded Fairtrade University status adds significant weight to the Liverpool Wide Fairtrade City strategy. Selling these products to UK consumers, in this case students, really makes a difference to alleviating poverty and giving people a decent standard of living. Producers in developing countries don't want a hand-out, they want to trade and get a fair price for the produce they work hard to grow. Fairtrade is the sustainable way to trade.”
For more information on LJMU's Fairtrade policy, visit: http://www.ljmu.ac.uk/infrastructure/77924.htm
For more information on Fairtrade Fortnight, visit: http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/
