UBC Named First Fair Trade Campus in Canada

Steve Golob, chef at UBC's Place Vanier, holds up a fair trade donut by Ethical Bean Coffee. UBC gained accreditation as Canada's first fair trade campus by meeting Fairtrade Canada's requirements for ethically sourced product availability, visibility, and promotion in the university. (Courtesy of UBC)

To top off its status as Canada’s first “fair trade town,” Vancouver is now home to the nation’s first “fair trade campus” as well.

The University of British Columbia has announced that it obtained the designation through national leadership in fair trade purchasing, and will be awarded its own blend of ethically sourced coffee as a result.

The designation is the result of a collaboration between UBC’s Engineers Without Borders (EWB) chapter and Fairtrade Canada, a global non-profit fair trade certification system that supports producers in developing countries and encourages the purchase of ethically sourced consumer goods.

Michael Zelmer, director of communications for Fairtrade Canada, says UBC student groups such as EWB took the initiative to gain the accreditation, and are already advising other universities on how to become more fair trade-friendly.

“They’ve just been such leaders in fair trade as far as universities go, and I think it was just a natural step for them,” he says.

With the accreditation, UBC joins more than 100 global universities that have committed to buying fair trade coffee, tea, chocolate, and tropical fruit from producers who guarantee higher social, environmental, and pay standards for farmers and workers.

“From fair trade coffee to this fair trade designation, students have helped to make UBC a leader on ethical purchasing,” says Kaan Williams, 25, director of fair trade for UBC’s EWB chapter. “EWB has chapters at every other major University in Canada and many of them are already working toward achieving the award for their schools too.”

In recognition of UBC’s fair trade commitments, local Vancouver coffee company Milano Coffee is creating its first fair trade-certified blend of coffee for the university, which will launch at campus food service outlets in September 2011.

“The recognition of UBC as Canada’s first fair trade campus sets an example for other campuses across the country and further demonstrates Canadians’ commitment to fairness and respect for the farmers and artisans who produce the products we enjoy,” says Zelmer.

Accreditation standards apply only to products purchased by the university and the students’ association, so independent franchises on campus such as Whitespot, Tim Horton’s, and Starbucks are excluded from the requirements.

Andrew Parr, managing director for UBC Student Housing and Hospitality Services, hopes that the designation will inspire others to pursue ethical purchasing habits.

“UBC’s commitment to fair trade benefits people in developing countries and provides our students and other large organizations with an important example of institutional global citizenship,” he says.