This blog was written by Nicola Hogan, Sustainability Operations Manager at King’s.
Kings College London has been Fairtrade accredited since 2017.
In order to achieve the accreditation, King’s needs to demonstrate on-going commitment to the organisation in our sale of Fairtrade products and in our engagement with stakeholders. We’ve done this by organising events awhich support and promote Fairtrade and advertise the selection of Fairtrade products on sale across King’s campuses.
King’s support of ethical organisations is part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
As we enter this ‘decade of action’, the ‘Ten Principles of Fairtrade’ ask not just for a fair price for workers, but also champions Health and Safety, Transparency and Accountability and Capacity Building. It also includes an anti-slavery principle where it protects against child and forced labour.
However, in recent years the ethical business market has become crowded as more and more sustainable and ethical labels are popping up. At King’s we support Fairtrade, as it helps to achieve the 17 SDG goals and especially speaks to SDG 5: Gender Equality through it’s support in empowerment of women.
In addition, research indicates that farmers often strive to be Fairtrade accredited for the sustainability of the land as oppose to purely economic reasons. For these reasons it’s important that King’s continue to be accredited with Fairtrade.
Simply look for the Fairtrade label on products such as coffee, chocolate or clothing.
If you’d like to know more about Fairtrade at King’s and perhaps embed Fairtrade in your teaching, research or departmental operations, please contact sustainability@KCL.ac.uk
