UEA goes Fairtrade!

After years and years of campaigning, the University agreed this summer to make UEA a Fairtrade University.
above: Zest will now have a few Fairtrade beans in!


University Council, in it's last meeting of the academic year, decided to make UEA a Fairtrade Status Insitution.  THis involved the University's top bods recognising the importance of the step forward. 

The Union of UEA Students has had a Fair Trade Steering Committee since 2003, and has been pushing the University toward the award from the Fairtrade Foundation with a mixture of reports and lobbying, selling wristbands in the UFO, to some really creative campaigning, such as the Fairtrade fortnight and the Fairtrade Funkathon.

This means that the University will also have a Fairtrade policy like that of the Union, sell fairtrade products in outlets like Zest and Bland, Fairtrade tea and coffee are served at all University meetings and that they now have a committment to promoting Fairtrade products. 



UEA will be awarded the status once the University submit a report to the Fairtrade Foundation. 

Sean Rose, the Union's Ethical Issues Officer, said, "Fairtrade University Status is an important move, signalling an increasing commitment to issues of trade justice by the student community. It will make a real difference to the lives of producers all around the world, as well as enhancing the credentials of UEA. I would like to extend my thanks to all those who have campaigned towards this over the past four years."

The Union's Comms Officer, Rowena Boddington, said, " I'm so proud of the University finally reaching a consus on this issue.  It's been a long time coming and so many different people have worked so hard to make it happen.  As a University community we now have a committment to thinking about where our food, drink, clothing and so on comes from, and our impact on the wider world". 

The Union has really developed it's own fairtrade product range across it's shops and services, from fairtrade tea and coffee in the bars and fairtrade hoodies in the Postoffice.