From September 22-28, Fairtrade America leadership joined thousands of other movers and shakers from the worlds of business, tech, politics, academia and civil society at Climate Week NYC. After a week of meetings, seminars and collaboration with like-minded organizations, here are their takeaways for scaling meaningful climate action:

Let's talk more about paying farmers fairly to advance a resilient future.  

There was no shortage during the week of discussion on the importance of agriculture in driving climate resilience and the role farmers play in implementing innovation and action at the farm level. Most industry leaders agree: more has to be done to fuel climate resilience solutions within farming communities. But does this always have to mean coming up with new financing vehicles for this work?  

“We don’t always have to re-invent the wheel. What if we just consider paying the true value of the products we buy rather than coming up with complicated alternatives that continue to place the burden of adaptation on farmers? It’s time that businesses own their power to support farming communities by building farm-level investments into their P&L strategy, sign up for transparency and third-party auditing and set goals.” - Amanda Archila, Executive Director of Fairtrade America  

“The kinds of farm-level improvements that industry leaders want don’t come without cost. The challenge was issued to businesses across the week to recognize that we cannot ask farmers to invest in improvements for their own operations, raising their costs, without secure access to buyers/markets that will pay fairly for that higher-value product.” - Katie Kowalski, Director of Commercial Partnerships at Fairtrade America

At a UN event for the Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa, we were reminded that the population of Africa will nearly double by 2050, comprising 25% of the world’s total population. At the same time, young people are increasingly leaving agriculture due to structural blockers to sustainable livelihoods. If we want future generations of farmers growing products that are resilient to a changing climate, we cannot rely on one-off project investments, but rather, must change the way we value these goods at the market level.  

Storytelling has power.

Several sessions focused on the importance of making climate change accessible and resonant with the average person in ways that inspire action, healing and deeper connection. The Dear Tomorrow team reminded us that storytelling is one of the oldest art forms, dating back thousands of years to early humans.  

The vast and complex nature of the cascade of challenges posed by a warming climate is tough to fully comprehend, but through storytelling, it is possible to begin digesting the magnitude of this crisis in specific and tangible moments.  The Narrative 4 team illuminated this through a powerful exercise during the “Climate of Emotions” event where participants shared their own experiences with climate and then stepped into each other’s shoes by sharing the stories of another in the first person.

Another session explored the power of climate storytelling in pop culture as a way to build understanding, acceptance and action through ‘a million tiny messages over time.'

"It was fascinating to hear more about how climate activists are embedding messages on climate change into popular shows and movies, and it’s doing really well! Experts explained how they created a climate Bechdel-style test for films, and they are seeing that movies with some kind of climate activism do 10% better than those without.” - Katie Kowalski

"We must make sure that the food industry doesn’t turn a meaningful vision for a regenerative and resilient future into buzzwords and claims that lack real action.”

Amanda Archila, Executive Director of Fairtrade America

Put partnership and integrity above competitive advantage and greenwashing.

As was put eloquently in an event hosted by Solutions House: “net zero is a team sport.” Meaningful progress on climate solutions will require all stakeholders to work together. 

“Businesses have the opportunity to be real leaders by recognizing that we can't solve some of these big and shared issues while entrenched in competition. Imagine what could change if industry leaders decided climate action in their supply chains was a space to collaborate rather than compete.” - Katie Kowalski 

Another line of discussion warned against the proliferation of various standards, certifications and sustainability initiatives in service of elevating particular companies or products in the eyes of consumers. Splintering and duplicating efforts could set back meaningful forward progress. 

“It is exciting to see the increased enthusiasm for initiatives, standards, and certifications working at the intersection of people and planet. Having been a leading global ethical certification for the last 30 years, we also understand the critical importance of holding a high bar for credibility and integrity. We must make sure that the food industry doesn’t turn a meaningful vision for a regenerative and resilient future into buzzwords and claims that lack real action.” - Amanda Archila 

Want to chat about Fairtrade’s ability to support a more climate resilient supply chain for your key ingredients?