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On October 19, 1973 the banana women in Frauenfeld took to the streets and asked passers-by: Have you ever wondered why bananas are so cheap? Prompted by such critical questions, the Fair Trade movement in Switzerland emerged in the years that followed. Undoubtedly much has changed since then: Fair Trade has become a well-known term and Fair Trade products have arrived on supermarket shelves.
But has trade really become "fairer" as a result? Thanks to Fair Trade standards, farmers and workers earn more today than they did back then, but their situation has hardly improved significantly. The biggest earners from Fair Trade are the large food companies and major retailers. They keep by far the largest share of the premium that customers pay for Fair Trade within their own companies.
For this reason gebana is calling on supermarkets and big corporations in an open letter to do more and show genuine commitment to greater justice:
- Fairness must be a principle of the entire company and not just a label on a product!
- The more is earned from fair-traded products, the more producers must also benefit in terms of participation, profit distribution and investment!
With the event on October 18, 2013, gebana, terrafair and the banana women invited passers-by in Frauenfeld to discuss achievements in Fair Trade, the demands for greater involvement of large companies and the possible implementation of these demands.
The Banana Newspaper 2013 contains excerpts from the original Banana Newspaper 1973 as well as the open letter and the demands. Write to us with your opinion. You can also download the open letter separately in German or French. If you would like one or more Banana Newspapers 2013 sent to you, contact us at [email protected].