Chemnitz is a Fairtrade city
Title for commitment to fair trade since 2 April
After fulfilling all the criteria of the Fairtrade Towns campaign recommended by the city council, Chemnitz has now been awarded the title of Fairtrade Town by Transfair e.V. and can bear this title as of today.
Through the commitment of local retailers, catering businesses, schools, associations, parishes and the media to fair trade, the city of Chemnitz is setting a concrete example for a fairer world and making an important contribution to improving the living conditions of disadvantaged producer groups in the Global South.
Dieter Overath, Chairman of the Board of Transfair e.V., explains his support for fair trade in times of health and economic challenges: "We can overcome the coronavirus crisis if we keep our distance physically, but stand together as a society in spirit. The current crisis calls for solidarity from all of us. This is what fair trade stands for. We can and should all show solidarity in our everyday actions by protecting ourselves and others and providing support where help is needed. This applies to the people in our immediate neighbourhood. But our solidarity also applies to the people who supply us with products such as coffee, cocoa, bananas or other raw materials and for whom we are also working in this time of crisis."
The Environmental Centre would like to thank all those involved in Chemnitz, with whom the award ceremony, which was originally planned for 2 April, will be held at a later date.
The Environmental Centre offers advice on how fair trade can be supported in companies, schools and associations. Contact: umweltzentrum(at)stadt-chemnitz.de
Incidentally, anyone can support the FAIREwelt shop as a direct specialised shop and educational provider for fair trade here locally by using the recently established delivery service: www.faire-welt-chemnitz.de.
Background
The Fairtrade Town campaign offers the opportunity to set a visible example of municipal values and commitment. Cities play a decisive role in the realisation of global development goals, as it is here that fair trade and sustainable consumption can be put into practice. All municipalities worldwide are therefore called upon to fulfil their social, economic and ecological responsibilities.
The Chemnitz city councillors have joined this campaign with a resolution. An alliance of representatives from administration, business, civil society and the population have brought the motto "think globally - act locally" to life and prepared the application.
The title is to be defended again after two years.