On the way to becoming a Fairtrade Town

Britta Mahlendorff & Kathrin Weber

Britta Mahlendorff and Kathrin Weber are part of the steering group that has set itself the goal of applying for Chemnitz to become a Fairtrade Town. Alongside Dresden, Leipzig, Markleeberg and Freiberg, Chemnitz would like to be one of over 540 cities nationwide that openly support fair-trade products and delivery routes. To get the people of Chemnitz excited about this idea, the organisers are holding the first Fairtrade Town Festival on 28 July in the Stadthallenpark. They explain what the Fairtrade culture is all about and what needs to happen for Chemnitz to bear the title of Fairtrade Town in the Makers of the Week interview.

What is the Fairtrade Town Initiative?
Britta Mahlendorff: This is a campaign organised by the transfair e. V. association. The association launched the international initiative because awareness of fair trade and fairer trade structures is growing worldwide. The Fairtrade Town initiative exists to capitalise on this. It is a network of civil society, business and politics and promotes fair trade at local level.
Kathrin Weber:The aim is first of all to do some local research to find out what is already happening in terms of Fairtrade.

How do you become a Fairtrade town?
Kathrin Weber: There are five criteria that have to be met. The first thing that has already been fulfilled in Chemnitz is the city council resolution. This means that the city or municipality applies for this award and the politicians support the commitment.
Another criterion relates to the retail trade: a certain number of retail outlets must stock at least two fair trade products, depending on the number of inhabitants. The same applies to the catering trade.
Thirdly, there must be a certain number of associations, churches or schools that use fair trade products in some way, for example when serving coffee in the staff room or for school meals. There must also be educational programmes on Fairtrade in public institutions, for example one or two events a year.
And we also need a steering group to organise all local campaigns. We have already implemented this as well. There also needs to be media coverage, at least four articles a year online or in the local press, and we already fulfil that criterion very well.
Britta Mahlendorff: If all the criteria are met and the transfair association gives its approval, then you get the title Fairtrade Town for two years. You can then have the title confirmed again and again.
But since not everyone reads the city council resolution or subscribes to a local newspaper, we came up with the idea of introducing people to the Fairtrade culture with a festival.

What can visitors expect at the Fairtrade festival on 28 July?
Kathrin Weber: With the festival, we want to get the population involved and promote the Fairtrade idea to the outside world. Just fulfilling the criteria to receive the award is not our only goal. It should also go further, so that people develop an awareness of Fairtrade. And that's what the festival is for.
Britta Mahlendorff: There are eleven participants. There will be various stands from local shops selling fairtrade products and organisations presenting themselves, such as the Intercultural Garden. Fairtrade coffee will be served and there will be culinary delicacies. We want to lower the inhibition threshold for people who have not yet bought Fairtrade products. There will also be a repair café, because sustainability is also important. It is very important to us that a panel discussion will take place from 4.45 pm to 5.30 pm with city councillors from various parties. Interviews will be conducted with refugees about why they came to Germany. Because the causes of flight have something to do with unjust trade structures. And everything will be accompanied by music.
Kathrin Weber: The panel discussion also aims to talk about fair procurement, for example to sensitise the city administration to how to deal with orders. Where do the products I buy actually come from?

What is the current state of fair trade culture in Chemnitz?
Britta Mahlendorff: Because we are currently in the process of finding 35 retail outlets and 18 restaurants to support the application, I have noticed that there are already some that offer fair products. It's perhaps not so difficult with the big shops because almost every discount grocery store now stocks Fairtrade products. But I'm pleased that small shops and restaurants are also offering them.
Kathrin Weber: I think it's mixed. We don't have to start with the original gruel. But there are some people who no longer have a clear view of the labels alone. What does fair trade actually mean? For some, habitual shopping is still firmly anchored. In shops that even stock Fairtrade coffee, people don't even ask whether the coffee is fairly traded. The awareness is not yet so pronounced. It's similar to organic, you have to consciously engage with it and look behind it to see what each label actually means. It's not enough to assume that this label is there and everything is good.
Britta Mahlendorff: However, I think that for many people who are now opening new cafés or the like, it is a matter of course to serve Fairtrade coffee. Even though visitors don't ask for it directly. That surprised me.
Kathrin Weber: We are definitely on a positive path. And it's important that you don't immediately dismiss it just because you've had a bad experience, perhaps because you didn't like the taste of a Fairtrade coffee. There is so much choice, you just have to try it out.

Fairtrade is more than just coffee these days. There are fairtrade goods in almost every product group: Whether chocolate, honey, clothing, bags, cosmetics or sports balls, even cut flowers in the supermarket can feature the Fairtrade seal. However, consumers should not blindly follow the label. It is similar to the organic sector: organic products became a trend and increasingly appeared on the shelves of supermarket chains. "It then depends on how many black sheep jump on the bandwagon," emphasises Kathrin Weber, "because they can bring the entire industry into disrepute." It can happen, for example, that fair trade and conventional goods are mixed together in one product. Such a quantity equalisation is permitted, but must be noted on the label in Germany. If you want to be on the safe side, you can find a whole range of Fairtrade products in retail outlets in Chemnitz, for example in Weltladen, Spangeltangel or Kult - Design - Unikate.

How can you raise awareness of the faitrade culture?
Britta Mahlendorff: I've been doing educational work in schools for a long time and I've noticed that children bring their parents to the Weltladen and show them the products. But I also noticed this year in a secondary school that the teachers themselves are already organising projects that focus on fair trade. I would be delighted if the schools were to take this more into their own hands.
Kathrin Weber: Classes often come into the shop to simply have a look at everything. Or teachers who ask if we can do something at the schools.
Britta Mahlendorff: The environmental centre also offers an education market on the subject. There are lots of classes there, as well as kindergarten groups. I've even been asked to organise a children's birthday party to teach the children about the environment and fair trade. It's important to simply talk about it and provide information.

And when will Chemnitz be able to call itself a Fairtrade Town?
Britta Mahlendorff: I would like to see us achieve this by the end of this year. That would also be a very positive thing for the city and its image.

Chemnitz is applying to be European Capital of Culture 2025. What would you like to see by then?
Britta Mahlendorff:I would like people from Germany and other countries to come here because they say that there are great events here, such as the walk-throughs or the Hat Festival. I was also often at the events for the Capital of Culture application and at the beginning I had the feeling that people were interested. But now it's stagnated a bit. The people of Chemnitz need to get more involved and use the opportunity to contribute their ideas.
Kathrin Weber: I'm still on the way to discovering Chemnitz for myself. I would like to see more dialogue between the city and its citizens. The bid to become European Capital of Culture would be a good opportunity to promote this dialogue.