This week marks the launch of our new Fairtrade Book Display. In support of the University’s ambitious sustainability goals many departments are scrutinising their resource use and supply chains in pursuit of lowering carbon footprints and energy demand. Beyond just analysing these metrics, achieving sustainability also means considering the impact of resources we use on the places and people we import them from. The Fairtrade movement aims to address the economic impacts, attempting to foster fairer prices, safer working conditions, and other benefits for producers and farmers. Similar movements include the Rainforest Alliance, ETP (formerly Ethical Tea Partnership), and the Soil Association which each have their own focuses on nurturing sustainability across the world’s supply chains.

Many of the books we have chosen feature recognisable everyday Fairtrade mascots such as bananas and coffee, but we have also chosen books featuring less-obvious resources that the Fairtrade movement is concerned with like gold and diamonds.

Some books featured in the display are loanable books from the SSL’s own collection and can be borrowed as usual. Others are for use in the library only and cannot be borrowed. Do feel free to remove them from the display to look at in the library and then return them there afterwards. Each book has its own bookmark indicating whether it can be borrowed or not.