Jamk University of Applied Sciences of is going for the title of Fair Trade University. The student union JAMKO took the initiative, which was confirmed by the Jamk's Management Team in August 2022. There are more than 200 Fairtrade universities around the world, and there are eight in Finland. Fairtrade universities raise their community's awareness of the problems of production chains, responsible consumption, economic sustainability and fairness. Fairtrade universities also source responsibly produced products and support sustainable production.
Jamk has a working group on sustainable development, and its active student member Paula Hokkanen completed her thesis on the topic. The thesis examined what kind of sustainability certificates universities use in Finland and Europe. As a result of the study, Fair Trade University and Ecocompass, of which the first was selected, became suitable certificates for Jamk. As the sustainability officer of student union JAMKO, Hokkanen also presented the results to JAMKO's board. JAMKO also got excited about the Certificate of Fair Trade University.
"It is nice to work for the title when the initiative has started with my own research and the results of the thesis. The student's work is therefore of concrete importance, and JAMKO's initiatives are taken into account in Jamk's management team," Hokkanen says. Now she is working on the Fairtrade process forward for the entire Jamk community.
What does fair trade labelling mean?
Fair trade as an international system contributes to several of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (2030 Agenda). The first of the SDGs is the eradication of poverty, which is essential for fair trade. Fair trade also contributes to Objective 2: no hunger. In addition to these, FairTrade affects gender equality, decent work, responsible consumption, climate action, peace and justice, and partnership. By choosing a fair trade product, the consumer contributes to the achievement of several sustainable development goals.
In concrete terms, the School of Fair Trade means to Jamk that the university community commits to using Fairtrade products (coffee, tea, bananas) in its selections, communicates fair trade as a community, participates in campaigns such as the ongoing FairTrade Week, and reports annually to Fairtrade.
In order to obtain the title of FairTrade, the university must commit itself to using Fairtrade products in its various areas and activities. What matters is not how many products there are. It is more about how responsibility and sustainability can be influenced by everyday choices. Especially when prices rise, it is important to be aware of the financial plight of upstream producers, where fair trade certification plays a major role. Producers are always paid a guaranteed price and a Fairtrade increase, so their finances have also been secured as costs increase. Fairtrade is also the only certificate that seeks wages that are sufficient for living. Fairtrade has also been found in many studies to be the best and most well-known product certification.
The City of Jyväskylä, the University of Jyväskylä and the Jyväskylä parish have already received the title of FairTrade.
