Austria – Every normal trade should be “fair trade”

17 October 2018

(ANS – Vienna) – Dario Soto Abril, CEO of Fairtrade International, addressed a cordial greeting message to the whole Don Bosco movement – to all Salesians, Don Bosco institutions, Don Bosco friends and Past Pupils of Don Bosco – last Thursday 12 October, during his recent stay in Vienna on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Fairtrade Austria.

He is a Past Pupil of Don Bosco himself, as he explained to Reinhard Heiserer, director of “Jugend Eine Welt-Don Bosco Aktion Österreich”: 30 years ago he studied at the Colegio Salesiano San Pedro in Cartagena/Colombia where he also obtained his high school diploma. He affirmed that he remembers the years with Don Bosco with much joy and gratitude and that the support, assistance and education he had received there, were of utmost significance for his career.

When products coming from “developing” countries like coffee, cocoa, sugar or flowers are sold, farmers and workers at the beginning of the chain often don’t get a fair share of the benefits of trade. This is why Fairtrade introduced an alternative approach to conventional trade, reaching now consumers in more than 130 countries. More than 1.6 million producers and workers in 73 countries regularly receive a Fairtrade premium to invest in projects of their choice, such as programmes to improve crop productivity, or education or health.

“Small farmers and local producers can only survive if they get fair prices for their products and if there is a fair economy,” said Dario Soto Abril. He therefore appeals to all members of the worldwide Don Bosco movement to support fair trade initiatives, and, if possible, to prefer Fairtrade products from Africa, Asia and Latin America over similar products from conventional trade.

“Jugend Eine Welt” supports Fairtrade since the beginning of the ethical initiative, 20 years ago. Reinhard Heiserer: “We find it really strange that nowadays products are labelled which come from fair trade. Fair trade should be the standard, not the exception! We really champion the idea that, some day in the future, products will carry an ‘attention – not fair trade’ mark which are linked to child labour, slavery and other human rights violations or environmental pollution. In the meantime, it would be great if more and more local producers linked to the Don Bosco world would join the Fairtrade system.

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ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication, the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007.

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