Fairtrade in Berlin: New Pocket Guide promotes sustainable enjoyment!

Fairtrade in Berlin: New Pocket Guide promotes sustainable enjoyment!

Berlin is increasingly committed to fairness and sustainable consumption. As part of the activities to promote fair trade, the Mitte district office is presenting under the direction of the district mayorStefanie Remlingera new Berlin Pocket Guide. This guide is part of the district's wider efforts to promote itself as a Fairtrade district. With a wealth of information about fair and sustainable offers in Berlin, the guide is intended to give both tourists and Berliners a new understanding of conscious consumption. How reported, the guide is dedicated to eight selected locations, including cafés, restaurants and creative shops that place an emphasis on sustainability.

The Pocket Guide aims to make fair consumption and enjoyment experiences visible. The locations featured include neighborhood cafés, decolonial city tours and sustainable fashion shops. An accompanying landing page expands the selection and also offers information about fair hotels in Berlin. The guide will be distributed across 150 Berlin hotels and will be available until the end of October. It is also possible to order a print copy online.

The Fair Trade Initiative

It is very important for Berlin that the local population also has the opportunity to discover fair products. Therefore, various actions and campaigns support this movement. This is how participants in the “Play fair!” initiative can do so. Collect stickers in the FairPass at various stations via the #BerlinSpieltFair program. With four stickers collected, a little surprise awaits the committed supporters of fair trade. The offer includes not only cafes, but also shops and restaurants that offer Fairtrade products, such as Fair Trade Berlin highlights.

Fair products are particularly important in the school sector. Since 2021, Berlin primary schools have only used fair trade rice, bananas and pineapples. Around 165,000 lunches are served with these sustainable ingredients every day. In addition, over 5,000 fair trade balls are used in schools to teach children the importance of fair trade.

A look at the Berlin city coffee

Another example of how fair trade is anchored in Berlin is the city coffee “Berliner Bohne”. This has been available since June 2006 and consists of 100 percent organically grown Arabica beans. This project was supported by the State Office for Development Cooperation. The aim of these initiatives is to “think globally and act locally”, which is also reflected in the wide range of fair trade city coffee blends offered in many German cities, such as explained here.

The Fairtrade Towns campaign, organized by TransFair e.V., aims to mobilize actors from trade, politics and civil society to further promote fair trade. While the acceptance and supply of fair trade products in the public sector is continuously growing, current studies show that the proportion of these products in large catering establishments remains low. Challenges lie in the availability and willingness of end consumers to pay.