The Faculty of Economics has been dealing with fairtrade issues for more than 10 years and has therefore contributed to the creation of a unique platform where various organizations involved in fairtrade, from fairtrade schools and cities, to retailers and hobby organizations, can connect at joint meetings. The first meeting took place on Wednesday 27 March 2024 and among the guests were the organisers of the Tree Exhibitions and the organisers of the Fair Breakfasts. The aim of this important event was to get to know each other, share experiences and ideas, and also to learn about the situation of producers around the world, including the positive impacts of fairtrade on society.
Representatives of Fairtrade Czech Republic and Slovakia decided to establish a tradition of meeting entities involved in the promotion of fairtrade within individual regions and the first such meeting took place in the South Bohemia Region at the Faculty of Economics of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. 'We are interested in sharing news and examples of good practices in the field of fairtrade with people from fairtrade schools and towns, as well as with the organisers of specialised fairtrade events – Exhibitions on Trees and Fair Breakfasts,' said Stanislav Komínek, organiser of campaigns and talks from Fairtrade Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Logically, the Faculty of Economics of the South Bohemian University provided the facilities for this first-ever meeting, as it is the first fairtrade faculty in the Czech Republic. 20 experts from 7 different organizations of the South Bohemian Region participated in the fairtrade meeting. At the meeting, the issues of fairtrade commodities, the latest developments in the operation of the fairtrade system were discussed and experiences from current operations were shared.
The meeting was opened by doc. RNDr. Zuzana Dvořáková Líšková, Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Economics, USB, welcomed the participants of the event and declared the interest of the Faculty of Economics in the development and support of the application of fairtrade principles both in the field of education and practical application in supply chains.
Fairtrade produce is becoming more and more available on the market and consumer interest in these products is growing. Increases in sales in the Czech Republic are particularly evident in fairtrade cocoa, fairtrade coffee, but also fairtrade cotton, bananas and flowers. Thanks to the fairtrade system, growers in Asia, Africa and Latin America have received more than CZK 61 million in 2022 alone to improve the efficiency of agricultural activities and develop local communities.
For more information on fairtrade, please visit www.ef.jcu.cz/cz/fakulta/fairtradova-fakulta and www.fairtrade.cz.
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