A holistic approach to promoting sustainable fair trade

AuthorDirectorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (European Commission)
Pages40-41
SOCIAL INNOVATION: INSPIRATIONAL PRACTICES
SUPPORTING PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES
40
© SteveZammit Lupi, 2016
Street theatre organised by Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust in front of the prime minister’s of‌f‌ice to highlight the
abuse of labour conditions on fruit farms
Problem addressed
Unfair trade is a major driver of poverty and an obstacle to
sustainable development. While ethical choices are available
to consumers, a 2018 survey conducted by the European
Commission has shown that only 10% of Maltese people
make ethical choices when shopping for groceries. This is far
below the European average (21%).
Innovative solution
Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust (KKĠ) is a not-for-profit
cooperative that was established in Malta in 1996. It aims
to raise awareness about poverty in the global south and
promote sustainable fair trade. It does so through fair
trade education and cooperation with producers from the
global south.
KKĠ has a bottom-up approach to fair trade education,
actively engaging schools, young people and social groups
to help them to run educational events. Consumers of all
ages are engaged through awareness-raising events and
KKĠ also cooperates with musicians and artists to make
these occasions more attractive and accessible to the
general public.
KKĠ brings producers from developing countries directly to
Malta. In this way, producers can meet with trade unions and
policy-makers and present their work and products to schools
and community groups. KKĠ also provides Maltese retailers
and consumers with information on how they can deal with
producers from the global south directly.
KKĠ is instrumental in supporting the capacity building of
other local NGOs. For example, through its membership of the
Malta Forum for Social Justice and Development and Malta’s
National Platform of Development NGOs (NGDO Platform),
KKĠ shares expertise, empowering non-prof‌it actors that are
working on sustainability.
KKĠ has 200 paying members, as well as volunteers. In line
with KKĠ’s cooperative status, members have the chance
to vote during meetings, stand for committee elections and
attend national or international meetings.
A holistic approach to promoting
sustainable fair trade
Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust
Malta

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT