The state capital was the 200th city in Germany to be recognized as a Fairtrade municipality. The city council decided back in summer 2011 that Stuttgart should become fair. Today, 21 of Stuttgart’s 23 districts bear the Fairtrade seal. Incidentally, Degerloch was the first Fairtrade district in the whole of Germany - together with the Berlin district of Charlottenburg.
What does Faitrade mean?
Economic, ecological, social - these are the three pillars of Fairtrade. The goal: to create a fairer world trade order. Smallholder families and plantation workers in the global South should achieve better prices, and producers should receive an appropriate wage for their work under humane conditions. This should enable them to overcome poverty by their own efforts and to determine their lives independently.
The Fairtrade standards are clearly defined:
- stable, living minimum prices
- Fairtrade premiums that are used for public welfare projects (e.g. schools)
- Prohibition of unauthorized child labor and forced labor
- Long-term trade relations
- Trade union freedom
- Health protection
How does a city become fair?
There are now almost 700 “Fairtrade cities” in Germany, and more than 2,200 cities worldwide bear this title. In Germany, the Cologne-based association TransFair e.V. is responsible for certification.
Five criteria have to be met and adhered to:
1. the respective district advisory council decides to become a Fairtrade city district. Fair coffee is served and another fair product is used at meetings or events in the district and in the office of the district leaders.
2. a steering group with at least three people from politics, business and civil society coordinates all steps towards certification locally.
3. local retail stores, florists and restaurants participate by offering at least two Fair Trade products each. How many of them must have a “fair” assortment for certification depends on the number of inhabitants in the district.
4. public institutions such as schools, associations and churches use Fair Trade products and carry out educational work on “Fair Trade”.
5. local media report about the steps to the title “Fairtrade-Town” and also afterwards about activities around Fairtrade.
