UWE Bristol in partnership with The Students’ Union is celebrating the renewal of its Fairtrade status for 2024–2026, which recognises our commitment to promoting ethical consumerism and pushing for fairer wages for farmers and workers.

We are committed to supporting the Fairtrade Foundation in its vision of a world in which all producers can enjoy secure and sustainable livelihoods. We support its mission that this can only be achieved by creating widespread understanding of the issues in global supply chains, and a sense of agency in every coffee drinker, chocolate lover and banana fan in the UK.

‘We are part of one global community. Our decisions have far-reaching consequences, a commitment to reducing the impact of our consumption, and a sense of what each of us can do to create change, has never been more crucial.’ SOS-UK

Jointly delivered by the Fairtrade Foundation and SOS-UK, the Fairtrade awards programme supports institutions to embed ethical and sustainable practices through their curriculums, procurement, research and campaigns.

Examples of how we are striving to embed Fairtrade in everything that we do:

• Our provision of Fairtrade tea, coffee, chocolate and more in our cafes and shops
• Our public engagement work with staff, students and visitors particularly during Fairtrade Fortnight
• Our student volunteering opportunities and Student Society Greener Futures’ award and our wider collaborations
• Our work within the curriculum and offer of talk and study projects

‘We highly value Fairtrade as vehicle to realise our institutional commitments to Sustainability in terms of our Teaching and Learning and operational activities. And we welcome the fact that every two years, we are held to account and audited by our very own students!’ Paul Roberts, Head of Sustainability at UWE Bristol

As stated by Grace Isaacs, UWE Masters student on our Sustainable Development in Practice course:

‘Choosing Fairtrade is choosing to stand with farmers facing climate change and bringing us closer to the fairer world we want.’

Join us by choosing to buy Fairtrade on campus when you see the logo!

To find out more about the difference Fairtrade makes and what UWE Bristol do to support this, go to https://www.uwe.ac.uk/about/values-vision-strategy/sustainability/fairtrade-facts-and-benefits/fairtrade-progress