February 15, 2013

A study conducted by the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, found that while 36% of students on the campus considered fair trade important, the same percentage didn’t know what products on campus were fair trade.

Since the UBC Bookstore has been providing fair-trade products to students for more than five years, it jumped at the opportunity to participate in finding a solution. The store teamed with several departments on campus and in the community to develop Fair Trade Week, which took place for the second straight year from Feb. 12-15.

 “As we are the main retailer on campus, we became part of the source-and-supply discussion early on,” said Rebecca Irani, marketing and communications manager for the store. “I believe it’s important that UBC commits to the cause and tries to encourage others to do so. It is an important issue and we need both suppliers, as well as our students, to understand the importance of the issue and commit to supporting it.”

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