Fairtrade in Linz at the Rhine

Shopping with a clear conscience

On 7 April 2019, Honorary Ambassador Manfred Holz of TransFair Cologne presented the Fairtrade Town certificate to City Mayor Dr. Hans Georg Faust in the presence of members of the City Council and the Fairtrade Steering Group Linz. Since 13 October 2019, the municipality of Linz has also been a Fairtrade Town. 

Municipalities are important partners in implementing the goals of reducing poverty and hunger in the world and promoting trade justice and environmental protection. Measures include, for example, creating awareness for ethical consumption, anchoring fair trade in society and making public procurement fair and ecological. The Fairtrade Towns campaign makes a significant contribution to this.

The beginnings of the steering group go back to three people who met in November 2017 for the founding meeting. On 23 February 2018, the first meeting of now eight people took place. The Fairtrade Steering Group Linz coordinates all fair trade activities in Linz am Rhein. It is active even after the award as a Fairtrade Town and strives to implement the idea of Fair Trade in retail, gastronomy, administrations, associations, schools and in the awareness of the population.

Fair Trade works to improve trading conditions and secure social rights. It enables small farmers and artisans from countries such as Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe to access markets in industrialised countries. It promotes long-term and direct trade relations and largely eliminates intermediary trade, so that a higher share of the fair sales prices benefits the producers. Producers are also paid a portion of the purchase price in advance to buy raw materials and seeds, for example. The farmers decide collectively what it is used for, e.g. for a better water supply, building schools, medical care, etc. And what is very important: Exploitative child labour and forced labour are prohibited in Fair Trade.