Lübeck's mayor dares to bet: chocolate for fair trade!

Lübeck's mayor dares to bet: chocolate for fair trade!

Lübeck's mayor Jan Lindenau (SPD) launched an exciting bet today to promote fair trade. On Tuesday, August 26th, he will be weighed under the arcades of the Lübeck town hall at 11 a.m. The reason for this bet is the sale of fair trade chocolate, the aim of which is to sell more than 1200 bars during the upcoming Fair Week, which will take place from September 12th to 26th in Lübeck. This period is an ideal opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of fair trade and support the local economy. During the weigh-in process, representatives from Fairtrade organizations and companies will be present to provide information about the bet and fair trade.

The chocolate to be sold as part of the bet will be presented by Weltladen Lübeck. Ute Lankowski, who works at the world shop, emphasizes the importance of buying fair trade products to combat child labor in cocoa cultivation. In addition to this important message, there is also an interesting bet: If the people of Lübeck manage to sell the set number of chocolate bars, Mayor Lindenau will include two more Fairtrade products in the buffet at future official events. However, if the bet is not fulfilled, he will receive an annual chocolate subscription from the world shop.

Commitment to fair trade

What is particularly noteworthy is that Lübeck has been certified as a Fairtrade city since 2011, which underlines the city's commitment to combating exploitative labor conditions and environmental destruction in the global south. The city is the first in Schleswig-Holstein to receive this award from TransFair e.V. To achieve this status, it had to meet five criteria, including support for fair trade through a citizen resolution and the existence of a coordinating steering group.

The participants in Lübeck are mostly volunteers, which means the community is heavily involved in fair trade activities. As part of its initiatives, a link between climate protection and fair trade is also promoted. For example, the climate protection team from the environmental, nature and consumer protection department is part of the steering group, which underlines the city's diverse efforts to support climate-friendly and socially responsible action.

In the future, Lübeck would like to present itself as a cultural city and Travemünde as a seaside resort on the Baltic Sea in the tourism development concept for 2030. A central point of this concept is to highlight both Lübeck and Travemünde as climate-friendly travel destinations with their own profile. These measures not only contribute to the city's economic growth, but also support the positive effects of fair trade and climate protection.