On the 14th of October 2015, WFTO-Europe together with its partners organized the “Wear your ideas!” debate as part of the Belgian Fair Trade Week, an initiative of the Belgian Development Agency. More than 70 people, mainly students, attended the event and had the opportunity to discuss with actors involved in the fight for a fairer textile supply chain. WFTO-Europe’s main partners for this project were:
- Oxfam-Magasins du Monde – non-profit organization promoting Fair Trade;
- Fashion Revolution – a global coalition of designers, academics, writers, business leaders and parliamentarians calling for systemic reform of the fashion supply chain;
- Clean Clothes Campaign – dedicated to improving working conditions and supporting the empowerment of workers in the global garment and sportswear industries through lobbying and awareness-raising.
A touch of authenticity was brought by the special presence of Kong Athit, a representative of a Cambodian Trade Union and Roopa Mehta, an artisan from Sasha, a WFTO member organisation.
The debate was presented by Francesca Giubilo (WFTO-Europe coordinator) and greatly moderated by Peter Moehringen from the Fair Trade Advocacy Office.
The uniqueness of the debate consisted in the richness of its panel. Each panellist tackled the problems of the textile supply chain under different angles. The debate went on in an inspiring atmosphere where a small “quiz game” was also created to make each section more interactive.
The high participation and interest in the topic, revealed by the number of questions raised up during the final “Questions and Answers” session and right after the event in a more informal atmosphere, proved the great success of the event. Around a glass of Fair Trade juice, participants and panelists continued to exchange their views and to get inspired on how to contribute to a fairer world through simple but concrete actions in their daily life.
The eventwas part of the Belgian Fair Trade Week, an initiative of the Belgian Development Agency. For more information about other events organised during this week, please visit www.semaineducommerceequitable.be
