On Wednesday 2 October, the University’s School of Environment, Education and Development hosted its annual Social Responsibility Lecture. This year’s lecture celebrated the 30^th anniversary of the international Fairtrade movement, bringing together a range of experts to discuss its past, present and future.

Speakers included Mike Gidney, CEO of the Fairtrade Foundation; Emily Pearce, Senior Sustainable Sourcing & International Development Manager at the Co-op; Joanna Abena Fianu, Chair of Fairtrade Lancashire; and the University of Manchester’s Stephanie Barrientos, Emeritus Professor at the Global Development Institute and recently-elected member of the Board of Trustees of the Fairtrade Foundation.

The discussion was facilitated by Eren Bozacigurbuz and George Wolff, second-year undergraduates studying Global Development at the University’s Global Development Institute. Bozacigurbuz and Wolff pressed the experts on the successes of Fairtrade in tackling exploitation, environmental degradation and human rights abuses in supply chains, as well as the challenges the movement faces now and in the future. Following this initial discussion, panellists engaged with complex and thought-provoking audience questions about Fairtrade’s sustainability practices and the role of consumers in supporting a better world for all.

Attendees were also treated to a range of Fairtrade hot drinks and chocolates and offered information about how to get involved with the movement.  

• The lecture is available to watch on YouTube