As a "fair trade city" there is still room for improvement

Created: 01/18/2022, 13:00

By: Stephanie Uehlein

Fair trade roses from Ethiopia were distributed in the city center in March last year - an action as part of the "Fairtrade City Weilheim" project, which is intended to promote fair trade.

© Ralf Ruder/Archive

Whether with posters or with roses that are distributed to passers-by - with many comparatively small campaigns, attempts are made in Weilheim to sensitize citizens to "fair trade".

Now the district town can once again call itself a “fair trade city” for two years.

However, efforts to promote fair trade are not always crowned with success.

Weilheim

– Manfred Stork is the contact person in the town hall for “Fairtrade City” matters and is also a member of the local Fairtrade steering team.

He explains that the district seat had to meet certain criteria again in order to secure the title for the years 2022 and 2023 as well.

A certain number of restaurants and shops must offer fair trade products.

In the meantime, the city has it in writing: With a certificate, the “TransFair” association confirmed that Weilheim is one of the almost 800 “fair trade cities” in Germany.

In a total of 36 countries, more than 2000 places can adorn themselves with this title.

Weilheim has been part of the district since 2018.

Not a single "Fairtrade" ball was purchased

The municipality's website (weilheim.de) reveals who it can count on for the "Fairtrade City" project. Flower and fashion shops offer just as suitable products as cafés and the “world shop”. Fair trade coffee and tea at committee meetings is one of the city's contributions.

Stork would like to see more involvement from local clubs, such as sports clubs.

An attempt to get the latter on board was unsuccessful, he said.

When fair trade sports balls were presented at a campaign, many of those invited had not only canceled in advance.

According to Stork, not a single "Fairtrade" ball was bought by the clubs.

The corona crisis makes Weilheim more difficult to be a "fair trade city" - for example, if a project partner closes its business forever due to a pandemic or the "fair breakfast" can no longer take place after the second date.

Producers receive fair payment

Stork could also imagine more involvement from schools. So far only the Gymnasium and the Oberlandschulen are project partners. But, as the town hall employee knows, schools "always need doers who stand behind the project". "Mr. Scharbert at the high school is passionate about it," Stork also cites a teacher as an example.

With many comparatively small campaigns, which are offered continuously, the activists in the matter of "Fairtrade City Weilheim" want to encourage the population to support trade in which the producers receive fair payment.

Fair trade flowers will be the focus of the next campaign: There will be roses for passers-by in the city center again, as Stork announces.

"Fair trade" is not possible in all cases, he says.

As a "fair trade city", Weilheim has the opportunity to provide impetus for positive behavior at the municipal level.

The contact person

in matters of "fair trade city" in Weilheim town hall, Manfred Stork, can be reached on 0881/682-4200.