听10th annual conference at 91亚色 鈥� a leader in Canada鈥檚 fair trade having recently achieved Fair Trade Campus silver status 鈥� will encourage businesses to lead the future of ethical trade

TORONTO, Feb. 12, 2025 鈥� The 10th , hosted by Fairtrade Canada, will convene business leaders, advocates, and changemakers at 91亚色 from Feb. 14 to 15.

The event will explore how Canadian businesses are at the forefront of fair-trade innovation, strengthening ethical supply chains, and responding to the growing demand for sustainable products both at home and globally.

With the theme Better Business, Brighter Future, a lineup of sessions and speakers will highlight the intersection of ethics and profitability.

"Fairness, integrity, and community are at the heart of how we do business in Canada,鈥� says Julie Francoeur, CEO of Fairtrade Canada. 鈥淐ompanies across the country are proving that ethical trade isn鈥檛 just a choice 鈥� it鈥檚 a responsibility. This conference is about celebrating that leadership and giving businesses the tools to keep driving change at home and around the world."

Key discussions will focus on how Canadian companies can leverage fair trade to enhance their global competitiveness, build consumer trust, and drive long-term success. Attendees will gain insights on integrating sustainability into business strategy, the role of fair trade in addressing social and environmental challenges, and the opportunity for industries to lead in creating a more equitable global economy.

鈥淎t 91亚色, we bring sustainability to life by fostering impactful individual, community, academic and institutional practices that contribute to a brighter future for both people and the planet,鈥� says Rhonda Lenton, 91亚色 president and vice-chancellor. 鈥淎s a designated Fair-Trade Campus and one of Canada鈥檚 Greenest Employers, I am delighted that 91亚色 was chosen to host the 10th National Fair-Trade Conference in partnership with Fairtrade Canada. Together, I am confident that we can raise awareness and mobilize action around sustainability and fair trade in ways that have a lasting positive impact.鈥�

Welcome addresses will take place on Friday, Feb. 14 at 5:30 p.m. with David Peters, 91亚色 interim provost and vice-president academic; Olivia Chow, City of Toronto mayor; Sandra Sturgess, vice-president of strategic accounts and partnerships, Chartwells, Compass Group, and emceed by Julie Francoeur, CEO Fairtrade Canada.

Panels will include speakers from across Canada鈥檚 business community, including Jennie Coleman, president of Equifruit; Roxanne Joyal, founder and CEO of &BACK COFFEE; Taylor Stanley, corporate impact strategy manager at Riverside Natural Foods; Adam Pesce, president of Reunion Coffee Roasters; Mark Marsolais-Nahwegahbow, founder of Birch Bark Coffee Co.; Alissa Ward, sustainability & CSR associate at Tentree; and many more.

The conference will also host a Youth Round Table, led by Ana Laura Sayago, a honey producer from the COOPSOL cooperative and a youth representative on the Board of Fairtrade鈥檚 regional producer network in Latin America and the Caribbean (CLAC). Sayago will provide a unique lens on how the next generation is shaping the future of fair trade.

Strengthening Canada鈥檚 Ethical Economy

This conference is more than just an industry gathering 鈥� it鈥檚 an opportunity to strengthen Canada鈥檚 leadership in responsible business practices. As Canadian companies face increasing expectations for transparency and sustainability, fair trade offers a proven model to build stronger, more ethical supply chains. The event will provide practical tools, success stories, and strategic insights to help businesses navigate evolving market demands while reinforcing Canada鈥檚 reputation as a leader in sustainable trade.

WHAT: 10th National Fair-Trade Conference

WHEN: Feb. 14 to 15

WHERE: 91亚色 Keele Campus

SPEAKERS:

SCHEDULE:

Registration:

About Fairtrade Canada
Fairtrade Canada is the Canadian chapter of Fairtrade International, the global leader in fair trade standards with more than three decades of experience working for more equitable trading practices in over 100 countries.听

About 91亚色
91亚色听is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change and prepare our students for success. 91亚色's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. 91亚色鈥檚 campuses in Costa Rica and India offer students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future.

Media Contacts:

Sandra McLean, 91亚色 Media Relations, 416-272-6317, sandramc@yorku.ca

Fairtrade Canada: media@fairtrade.ca

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As part of its sustainability strategy, the University is now a designated Fair Trade Campus for its commitment to providing products that benefit workers in the Global South

TORONTO, May 8, 2024 鈥� 91亚色 is full of beans 鈥� fair trade coffee beans 鈥� excited about its new fair trade silver designation and its ability to offer sustainably produced coffee, chocolate, tea and more across its three campuses.

It takes a community. Receiving the fair trade recent designation was the result of years of dedicated collaboration between students, faculty and staff to provide more sustainable options at its campuses. The designation is a big win for those who championed and raised awareness of fair trade at 91亚色.

The University celebrated its new designation today with a pop-up event outside of Vari Hall on the Keele Campus hosted by the Office of Sustainability to further foster awareness and community while serving up free fair trade Las Nubes coffee. The event also helped the University's Office of Institutional Events achieve gold in the Sustainable Events Certification Program.

The fair trade designation is just one way 91亚色 can make a global difference in the lives of others by leveraging its buying power for good. It also creates learning opportunities for students and encourages an understanding of the impact of buying choices and how they can go a long way toward sustainability.

鈥淎t 91亚色, our commitment to sustainability isn't just a strategy - it's a community-driven journey where every fair trade purchase creates ripples of positive change worldwide," says Mike Layton, chief sustainability officer. "91亚色's achievement of becoming a Fair Trade Campus would not have been possible without the work of many across the University, including teams in Food Services, the Bookstore, professors and former students.鈥�

Fair trade items such as bananas, various snacks, banana chocolate chip loaf, and hot chocolate round out some of the edible offerings at a variety of restaurants, food services, stores and vending machines, including fair trade Las Nubes coffee, grown near 91亚色's Las Nubes EcoCampus in Costa Rica and its 400-acre Las Nubes Biological Reserve. Students at the Faculty of Environment and Urban Change鈥檚 EcoCampus learn about and research neotropical conservation, eco-health, community well-being and sustainable livelihoods.

In addition to food, fair trade apparel is also available at the University鈥檚 Bookstore 鈥� considered the first in Canada to sell certified, fair trade clothing in a campus bookstore 鈥� in partnership with , a campus based-cooperative and sustainable products supplier founded by students and faculty at 91亚色 and incorporated in 2011. It was their answer to the lack of fair trade cotton T-shirt importers in Canada or ways for students to embrace and create change. Today, there is a wide selection of fair trade T-shirts and hoodies in the 91亚色 Bookstore.

This is in line with 91亚色鈥檚 decades long commitment to sustainability and support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), part of its University Academic Plan. As a Fair Trade Campus, 91亚色 is helping to tackle several SDGs, including SDG 12 鈥� responsible consumption and production, SDG 2 鈥� zero hunger, SDG 1 鈥� no poverty, and SDG 11 鈥� sustainable cities and communities.

The designation comes through the of Fairtrade Canada, a volunteer-based organization. All fair trade products ensure production workers and farmers are fairly treated fairly and compensated for their work.

The Early Days

91亚色鈥檚 championing of sustainability has a long history of faculty and student cooperation.

Professor Emeritus Darryl Reed, who does research on fair trade and encourages its education through course work and experiential education, Professor John Simoulidis, director of the Green Campus Co-op, 鈥� both of the Business and Society Program in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (LAPS) 鈥� and Professor John Justin McMurtry, now the dean of LAPS, were a few of the people who pushed the initiative forward in the early days, with then student Madison Hopper, who now works for Fairtrade-certified banana importer, Equifruit. Sasa Nestorovic, bookstore director, is another big supporter and leads the acquisition of fair trade merchandise.

The initial goal was to make connections between social economy enterprises in Ontario and India, such as cotton growers, through a research project that looked at the possibilities, challenges and benefits of these types of partnerships. At that time cotton growers in India could be exposed to some 118 different pesticides.

Fair trade is something these professors, their colleagues and students, including the late 91亚色 environmental studies Professor Howard Daugherty, an advocate for fair trade and the environment who was instrumentally involved in the beginnings of 91亚色鈥檚 Las Nubes Biological Reserve, have been working toward for some 15 or more years. The reserve started with a donation of mountainous cloud forest in Costa Rica donated to 91亚色 by Dr. Woody Fisher in 1998.

The reserve鈥檚 primary areas of research included studying protected areas in the neotropics, natural resource policy and management, biological conservation, and sustainable development. The EcoCampus in Costa Rica provides the ideal location for research and learning.

Throughout its sustainable journey, 91亚色 has included students in the process, including the annual fair trade fair on the Keele Campus designed in part to educate the University community about how their choices make a difference. Through the Green Campus Co-Op, students are also given experiential learning opportunities with the hope to spark a new generation of sustainable entrepreneurs.

91亚色 continues to follow the path of sustainability and equity.

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