Issue 15 | July 09, 2012 | critic.co.nz

FAIRTRADE
“If there are those issues, they
do need to be investigated, but the
idea of Fairtrade as a concept, of
guaranteeing that labour is performed
fairly – it’s a good one.”
Hernandez said. “So the University actually does own
a fairly substantial commercial operation in terms of
affecting the supply of coffee on campus. Second of
all, the University in a strategic direction is calling
on itself to be the critic and conscience of society,
and supporting Fairtrade is a way of raising these
important issues.
“The point of Fairtrade fortnight is just to let students
know what Fairtrade is and raise awareness in the
student body, just to get them thinking about these
issues of trade and equity.”
Finally, I had to raise my doubts about Fairtrade
revenue streams and the potential abuse of this
system. “If there are those issues, they do need to be
investigated, but the idea of Fairtrade as a concept,
of guaranteeing that labour is performed fairly – it’s
a good one,” Hernandez claimed. “If there are these
issues, they need to be looked at closely, examined
and corrected somewhere along the supply chain.
Because the point of Fairtrade is to give the profit back
to the producers, not to the middlemen, and if that’s not
happening, we need to look at it and fix these issues.”
I agree with Hernandez that our university’s support
of Fairtrade is about more than just keeping our coffee
shops stocked and lecturers’ caffeine addictions
fuelled. Otago is one of thousands of universities
and schools worldwide that support Fairtrade, not
because they want us to buy their coffee, but because
they want us to believe in their cause. By targeting
educational institutions, the Fairtrade movement is
ensuring that people are learning about their cause
when they are most impressionable.
This may sound like brainwashing, but it’s more
akin to providing new generations with alternatives
to the systems that are currently in place. As far as
alternatives to our current economic systems go, I
think this is a good one. It’s good for us because,
despite the fact that these products cost a little more,
they are generally of a higher quality. But, more
importantly, it is good for our whole world, it is a
step towards balancing out incredibly imbalanced
social and financial structures as well as ensuring
a better standard for products and the workers who
produce them. Nothing better than a good ol’ mutually
beneficial solution.
OUSA has made several edicts in regards to Fairtrade
on campus. OUSA supports Fairtrade with its wallet by
providing Fairtrade products at meetings; however,
it is also OUSA policy to always uphold the same
employment standards set out by FTAANZ for
Fairtrade farmers. Though it is no doubt easier to
enforce fair wages and occupational safety in the
OUSA offices than it is in a banana plantation in South
East Asia, the intention is still a gracious one.
So is Fairtrade going to make our future grandchildren
scoff at the fact that the world used to be socially and
financially imbalanced? In truth, probably not. But
it’s a start. Our university is supporting this cause so
that we, the future decision makers, are encouraged to
think about what the next step we can take towards
making these dreams a reality might be.
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