University of Siegen Becomes a Fairtrade-University

As part of a ceremony, the University of Siegen has received an honor award by the association TransFair e.V.

Around 140,000 cups of coffee are sold by the catering services of the Studierendenwerk at the campus locations of the University of Siegen every year. A few years ago already, the switch to 100% fair-trade coffee was made. Even from the machines flows coffee exclusively from fair cultivation. In addition, there are other fairtrade products in the cafeterias, canteen and AStA shop, promotions and events on the subject of fairtrade - and the decision to continue to promote the topics of sustainability and fair trade throughout the university, as well as publicly. For this initiative, the University of Siegen has now been officially recognized by the association TransFair e.V. as a fairtrade university.

"The award is a recognition of the prior achievements, and at the same time motivation to further promote fair trade. I'm looking forward to more ideas and actions here in Siegen, "said Heinz Fuchs of TransFair e.V., who presented the award to the steering group of the University of Siegen. For more than two years, the group had been pushing and supporting the process towards fairtrade University. The student body is represented in the group by Vera Fengler from the AStA, the university administration by the head of division for university planning, Dr. Ing. Iris Körver, member of the steering group, and the Studierendenwerk Siegen by the head of catering, Elmar Köninger.

"Without you and your commitment there would be no such award", said Vice-Rector for Cooperation, International and Marketing, Prof. Dr. med. Hanna Schramm-Klein. "We also want to be a good example for other universities to also work for fair trade," continued Schramm-Klein. Nationwide, there are already 22 fairtrade Universities, the University of Siegen is now added as the 23rd. In February 2017, the university decided to start on the road to fairtrade university. Since then, numerous actions have been successfully implemented, as Sarah Wessel from AStA explained in the context of the festivity. Among other things, a "fair week" with an action day in the cafeteria, a lecture series on sustainability and a cooperation with the one-world store Siegen.

The fact that the university is not alone with its involvement in the region was a point made by Siegen's mayor Steffen Mues in his welcoming address: The city of Siegen has been officially a fairtrade-town since October 2015, and there is also a municipal Peter-Paul-Rubens-Gymnasium fairtrade school. Mues congratulated the university and emphasized the common potential of the fairtrade theme: "The university is the most important partner you can have on board with just under 20,000 students. I am sure that together we will be able to bring the topic even more into the consciousness of the people. "The ultimate goal is to improve the living and working conditions of people in the producing and developing countries.

The ceremony was musically accompanied by music students Marco Hoffmann (piano) and Gerrit Schwan (vocals).