The University of British Columbia (UBC) was recently named Canada’s first fair trade campus by Fairtrade Canada, the Canadian branch of the global fair trade certification program.
The designation is a sign of UBC’s commitment to providing fair trade products on campus food stations according to Kaan Williams, the director of fair trade with the UBC branch of Engineers Without Borders.
UBC and its student union, the Alma Mater Society (AMS), have both shown a commitment to fair trade for a number of years, Williams said.
“The university and the student union both consider sustainable practices, including fair trade, as a key part of their ongoing operations,” he said.
Williams, who is completing his master’s of science at UBC, said his interest in fair trade stemmed from the consumer’s ability to make a difference globally by purchasing products locally.
“I really like [that] there’s a consumer choice that we can make that can have an impact beyond our local neighbourhood,” Williams said.
The designation states that UBC and AMS food outlets provide fair trade products, which are ethically purchased and provide fair compensation to the farmers who produced them. The designation doesn’t include food franchises on campus such as Tim Hortons and Starbucks.
Williams said now that the designation is in place, he expects future franchises moving into UBC will have to consider fair trade options.
“I expect that the availability of fair trade products is going to be a key concern if there are franchises that want to come into UBC in the future,” he said.
Before UBC was named a fair trade campus, more than 20 campus food outlets served fair trade coffee, tea, chocolate bars and some tropical fruits, according to a press release on UBC’s website.
The press release also said UBC was the first Canadian university to adopt fair trade coffee, beginning in 2004 at AMS-run food outlets before moving to UBC outlets in 2006.
To make the designation official, the last step for the school was to establish a fair trade campus committee to advance and promote fair trade practices, which UBC did earlier this year.
Williams said the committee will look at new fair trade products to bring to campus.
The designation also moves UBC in line with the City of Vancouver, which was named a fair trade city last year, according to the UBC press release.
