The application has been submitted, now it's time to wait: After a 33-month start-up period, Planegg is well on its way to becoming the third Fairtrade community in the Würm Valley.
Planegg – The Fairtrade-Town Planegg steering group has sent in the application documents for the Fairtrade Municipality award. You are in the first phase of testing. According to Roman Brugger, a result can be expected in ten weeks. "I am confident that we meet all the criteria," says the SPD councillor.
Fairtrade communities promote trade in products that stand for sustainability and fair working conditions at the municipal level. Gauting has been participating in the international campaign "FairtradeTowns" since 2012, Gräfelfing since 2013. The districts of Munich and Starnberg have been allowed to call themselves Fairtrade districts since 2019. There is a clear political will to set an example by supporting fair trade.
Struggling with resistance
In Planegg, the Fairtrade advocates had to contend with resistance. When the Green Group 21 (gG21) applied in November 2020 to strive for the Fairtrade Town title, it was rebuffed. At the time, Mayor Hermann Nafziger argued that there was an "immense amount of work for economic development and press and public relations" and had a 12:11 majority on his side. However, a positive municipal council decision is one of the five criteria that must be met.
Eva Schreier (gG21) didn't let up. In Brugger she found a comrade-in-arms. The two set up the steering group and, without the support of the town hall, set about creating the conditions for admission. Two years later, they were able to tick off everything except the expression of political will. Together with the SPD parliamentary group, the gG21 once again submitted a motion that was controversially discussed. The mayor had not changed his mind. With the addition that the steering group is in charge of applications and regularly necessary activities, because this could not currently be done by the administration, a clear majority was finally found. As a result, the town hall acted and registered Planegg.
Gymnasium wants to become a Fairtrade school
"Then it was down to the nitty-gritty," says Brugger. Equipped with the necessary forms, shops and restaurants had to be scoured again in order to be able to list all products with the Fairtrade label. In the process, one or the other store fell out because it strives for fair trade, but without explicit certification. "Flower deals turned out to be difficult," says Schreier. "They trust their dealers." What remained were six retail stores and four restaurants, including Mayr's Bistro and two branches of the Ihle bakery as well as the Bräustüberl, where fair tea is served. The adult education centre in the Würmtal and the Protestant and Catholic parishes are also involved. In addition, as a result of a P-seminar at the beginning of July, the Feodor-Lynen-Gymnasium applied for the award as a Fairtrade school. Brugger: "It would be nice if the Feo were also awarded. That would be a double whammy." At the end of July, he wrote the letter of application for the municipality and sent everything to Fairtrade Deutschland e.V. in Cologne, with the mayor's signature.
The steering group, which includes Stefan Hallinger and Christiane Lüst from the Gauting environmental center "Öko & Fair" in addition to Schreier and Brugger, is looking for more comrades-in-arms. As part of the Germany-wide Fair Weeks from 15 to 29 September, information booths are planned, and an exhibition is also to take place in the town hall. Schreier is concerned with creating awareness. She says: "It's a drop in the ocean, but if only a farmer doesn't have to send his child on the run, then we've already won something."