Stockholm becomes the world's 13th Fair Trade capital city
2016-05-25
Friday the 13th of May saw the celebration of Sweden’s capital, Stockholm becoming the world's 13th Fair Trade capital city*. This was a moment many people have waited for and Stockholm can now finally join the other Scandinavian Fair Trade capital cities as another actor making a great difference in the world. By demanding the fulfillment of social criteria in public procurement, Stockholm now benefits farmers and employees in countries with widespread poverty.
Stockholm City Town Hall.
Stockholm is a city among many that takes a greater social responsibility. The city has a business environment that responds well to the increased demand for fair trade products; this is especially seen in restaurants, cafes and grocery stores. Stockholm is a capital where both civil society and institutions are engaged in promoting and using fair trade products whenever possible. The common engagement is completely in line with the new Sustainable Development Goals for Agenda 2030 and it contributes to the vision of a sustainable world, free from poverty.
Since 2006 a total of 76 municipalities have declared as Fairtrade Cities in Sweden, and in December 2015 Västmanland became the first Swedish county to be awarded Fairtrade Region status. It is amazing that Sweden’s capital is now joining these pioneering cities and hopefully this can inspire other municipalities to follow in their footsteps. Today more than 1 in 4 Swedish municipalities have applied for Fairtrade City status, and they are not alone. In May 2016 there are over 1800 Fair Trade Towns around the world that strive towards a local society where fair trade is the given choice. Why you may ask yourself? It is because fair trade is a way out of poverty, for the farmers and workers that produce among other things our coffee, cocoa, bananas and sugar.
There is only one way forward for a sustainable future, and for so many - it begins with Fair Trade.
Catja Kaloudis, Project Manager of Fairtrade City, Fairtrade Region and public procurement in Sweden.
*The 13 Fair Trade Capital Cities are Amsterdam, Bruxelles, Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Oslo, Paris, Rome, Stockholm and Wellington.
The event took place in Kungsträdgården (Eurovision Square /Kings garden) in Stockholm center, between 12 and 13 PM.
