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E-Mail: press@fairtrade.net
15 May 2018
World Fairtrade Challenge – More Than 660,000 Supporters Stand for Fairness in Global Trade
From 11 to 13 May people in 36 countries gathered to support farmers and workers in their fight for a better deal.
Image: Fairtrade International
Friends, family, neighbours, students, colleagues and business partners across the globe got together to take a stand for trade fairness in many different ways: While in Italy supporters met for Fairtrade coffee breaks, people in Argentina drank a toast to farmers and workers with locally-produced Fairtrade wine, and Fairtrade-certified traders in Hong Kong took the opportunity to discuss about their commitment and latest developments in the sustainability sector. Universities in 13 countries organized Fairtrade events. Sweden was top of the list with a total number of more than 1800 events that brought together Fairtrade enthusiasts all over the country.
Many farmers who produce the world’s food don't earn enough to feed their own families. The World Fairtrade Challenge mobilized people around the world to show their support for a system of trade that shares the benefits of trade more equally between farmers, workers, companies and consumers – so everyone can enjoy more sustainable livelihoods.
One of the farmers in Fairtrade is Rose, a member and board representative of a Kenyan coffee cooperative. Thanks to training, Gikanda’s coffee sales have been increasing. "Before the training I used to pick 500 coffee beans per bush, now I pick 1000-1500. Fairtrade has trained our farmers to improve the environment. We will go very far together with Fairtrade."
“We are very happy that so many people around the world have supported farmers and workers to fight for a fairer deal in this year’s challenge, said Dario Soto Abril, Global CEO of Fairtrade International. “While more than 1.6 million farmers and workers already benefit from Fairtrade, this doesn't mean we're going to stop here. We want more of them to be able to drive change in their own communities and we want to deepen our support for farmers and workers to achieve a decent standard of living. Having the support of a global grassroots movement is vital on Fairtrade’s journey towards making trade fair.”
For further information contact:
Elena Kossmann, International Marketing Manager
Email: e.kossmann (at) fairtrade-deutschland.de
Phone: +49 221 94 20 40 80
Giovanna Schmidt, Media Relations Manager, Fairtrade International
Email: press (at) fairtrade.net
Phone: +49 228 94923 236