Series of topics: Sustainability in Trade: a question of transparency?

Cooperation of the Fairtrade Universities University of Bonn, Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences and Alanus University

Since 2018, Alanus University has held the title of “Fairtrade University”. The goal is to further implement and strengthen the fair trade idea at the university. Many people do not know, for example, where their T-shirt was produced or how many production steps it had to go through in different countries before being sold here. The Supply Chain Act passed this year is a first step toward requiring globally operating companies to make their supply chains transparent and be held accountable for violations. However, globalization has increasingly led to opaque and incomprehensible supply chains. Through the event series “Sustainability in Trade: a question of transparency?” we would like, in cooperation with the Fairtrade Universities, to raise awareness of and highlight the relevance of transparent supply chains.

Before a T-shirt ends up hanging in stores, it travels up to 20,000 kilometers; production alone requires 100 work steps. Human rights violations occur very frequently in these complex global supply chains.

We asked ourselves: How far have companies come on the path toward making their supply chains fairer? How can consumers exert influence so that production chains become safer? What does research say about the issue? Answers to these questions will be presented in the five lectures.

The series at Alanus University is co-organized by Nora Seling, Caroline von Friesen and Julian Merz. Nora is in her 4th semester of Business Administration – Rethinking Economics with Fairtrade as her practical partner. She heads the Fairtrade group at Alanus University.
Caroline is in her 2nd semester of Sustainable Management. She is active in the Fairtrade group.
Julian is in his 4th semester of Business Administration – Rethinking Economics with Weleda as his practical partner. In addition to his work in the Fairtrade group, he is part of a student initiative that is preparing a sustainability report for Alanus University.