Second Fair Trade Town declared in Switzerland
2016-05-01
Zweisimmen declared as Switzerland's 2nd Fair Trade Town
With over 1,800 Fair Trade Towns worldwide Swiss Fair Trade were proud to declare Zweisimmen as Switzerland’s second Fair Trade Town on 16 April, 2016! Thanks to Zweisimmen’s outstanding commitment to Fair Trade the small Bernese community is contributing to the improvement of living and working conditions for thousands of people in developing countries.
Awarded as Switzerland’s second Fair Trade Town the small municipality of Zweisimmen has shown that every city or community, regardless of its size, can make a sustainable contribution to the promotion of Fair Trade. According to Tobias Meier, president of the Swiss Fair Trade association, Zweisimmen is standing up in the fight against worldwide poverty and with its declaration sends an important message to all other cities and communities across the nation.
But how did Zweisimmen take on this pioneering role? In autumn 2015 the local council took the decision to work towards becoming a Fair Trade Town. A local Steering Committee was formed that began to implement the five core criteria. Due to its remarkable success in promoting Fair Trade and raising awareness of the local Fair Trade Town campaign they had soon persuaded 15 local establishments to join the campaign. As a result the employees of the administration started to consume Fairtrade coffee and snacks during their break and Fairtrade products were used more extensively in local schools, nursing centres, associations, parishes, restaurants, shops and enterprises.
Following Zweisimmen’s declaration we now look forward to the declaration of many other Swiss Fair Trade Towns in 2016. Around 15 cities and communities, including the Swiss capital Berne, are set to become a Fair Trade Town this year.
