Caritas passes the baton to Fairtrade International. From December 8 to 14 the organization, which represents FAIRTRADE, the mark of ethical certification and which this year is 20 years old, presents its participation at Expo Milano 2015 as part of the Social Relay involving Participants from Civil Society. A week in which to talk about the themes and projects represented by Fairtrade and related to production in Countries of the developing world.

The program and the themes of the Social Relay

From producers to consumers, passing through companies, here are the issues that, day after day, will be fathomed onfacebook and twitter and on the Expo official accounts. Cocoa as energy for people and the environment: the FAIRTRADEcertification system is an instrument that, recognizing the central role of companies and their contribution to the promotion of human rights, better working conditions and environmental protection, helps to create a balance across all the dimensions of food production and its distribution processes. In this way, chocolate can really offer a "positive" energy to people and the Planet. The strength and value of fair trade that supports manufacturers is brought out through the direct testimony of supply chain leaders. The promotion of the use of organic and sustainable crops, the appeal against the use of pesticides in the fields. The energy of women and the centrality of their role in the fight for a collective global well-being are represented by Marike de Pena, president of the Board of Fairtrade International and Ambassador WE-Women for Expo. Businesses and consumers are not excluded from this virtuous circle: social equity and sustainability positively affect purchasing decisions and help "Feed the Planet." Each of the messages promoted in the course of a week articulates an aspect of Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life, the Theme of Expo Milano 2015 that guides the presence of Fairtrade within the Event.

The participation of Fairtrade at Expo Milano 2015

Fairtrade participates in the Universal Exposition in large part within the Cocoa Cluster and pays special attention to social and environmental aspects related to production in Countries of the developing world. As Andrea Nicolello, outgoing president of Fairtrade Italy, in the interview published on Exponet observed, "we see a paradox: 70% of the world's food is produced by 500 million small farmers, but half of these same people are suffering from hunger, trapped in a state of poverty, aggravated by decades of price volatility, a lack of resources to invest, global inflationary pressures and by the negative impact of climate change. The economy hourglass is squeezing farmers. We want to expose this situation and illustrate the alternative offered by Fairtrade."