Fairtrade Curation Project

Reflective Blog Post (Mimansa Deshkar (Fairtrade Curator, SSA), Supervisor: Charlotte Davenport) 

A small blue-and-green label on a chocolate bar or a pack of coffee is something many of us have seen without thinking twice about it. Yet behind those everyday products are stories of global trade justice, social equality, environmental sustainability and student activism. Discovering how deeply these ideas are embedded in everyday university life is what drew me to this project. 

As an MSc Food Product Innovation student at the University of Leeds, with a strong interest in food sustainability and ethical consumption, I worked on a Fairtrade Curation project as part of my role as a Student Sustainability Architect. Through interviews, archival research, photographs, articles, and historical materials, I explored how Fairtrade has evolved at Leeds over the years, from awareness campaigns and ethical procurement to academic projects. More than documenting events, the project aimed to uncover the people, values, and stories that shaped the University’s Fairtrade journey, creating a resource that both preserves its history and encourages future engagement with Fairtrade and ethical consumption.  

Image 1: Introductory shot from the Fairtrade timeline video, marking 20 years of Fairtrade at the University of Leeds.

Image 2: Video screenshot highlighting Fairtrade celebrations at the University of Leeds in 2005, including a Fairtrade wine tasting event held at Leeds University Union. 

Image 3: Postcards signed by University of Leeds students and staff, calling on the Vice-Chancellor to support the University’s journey towards Fairtrade status. 

Being a Fairtrade Curator meant asking what Leeds’ Fairtrade history can do for its future. This project marked 20 years of the University of Leeds and Leeds University Union’s Fairtrade Partnership, but it was not only about celebration. By organising evidence of long-term commitment, stakeholder involvement, and ethical procurement, the archive can support the University’s ambition to work towards a 3-star Fairtrade Universities award by 2030. Thus, for me, the role was about turning history into direction. 

One of the most rewarding parts of the role was speaking to people who had been involved with Fairtrade long before I arrived at Leeds. One of them was Joanna Brown, who played a key role in expanding Fairtrade at Leeds in the early 2000s. She also actively campaigned to help the University gain its Fairtrade status. Joanna now works as a Senior Learning Technologist in Digital Education. Hearing her perspective helped me understand how individual commitment can shape university practice and the wider Leeds Fairtrade movement. It was encouraging to see how small, consistent efforts over two decades had built into something worth preserving.  

Personally, organising such a large body of information also showed me that I could handle complex research for a cause that felt close to home, especially knowing that Fairtrade can support producers in countries like my own (India). 

The role was not without its challenges. I was working with almost 20 years of material spread across online sources, physical folders, photographs, reports, interview notes and event records. One of the hardest parts was arranging everything chronologically while carefully separating University-specific information from wider Leeds city activity. To manage this, I created organised folders where information from different sources could be gathered in one place and set aside regular time each week, rather than leaving the work until the end of my allocated hours. That structure helped me stay calm when the project felt overwhelming. 

The project also challenged some of my assumptions. I had initially expected Fairtrade at the University to be mainly about procurement and catering because that is where we most visibly encounter it through commercial products. Instead, I found that Fairtrade also appears in the curriculum, campaigns and events. I was also surprised by how demanding maintaining Fairtrade University status can be, with audits requiring evidence across multiple areas. At the same time, I learned that institutions sometimes use broader ethical sourcing labels, such as B Corp or Rainforest Alliance, because relying on one certification alone can be restrictive. 

Overall, this experience shaped my understanding of sustainability as something practical, detailed and collaborative. It is not only about ambitious environmental goals, but about how values appear in everyday decisions, systems and relationships. At a university, where thousands of students, staff and teams make daily choices, choosing ethical goods and services can set a visible example of responsible decision-making. The project also reminded me why Fairtrade matters beyond campus. The farmers and workers behind many everyday foods often face unstable prices, climate shocks, weak bargaining power and unfair supply chains. Fairtrade helps respond to this through fairer prices, better conditions, long-term trading relationships, community investment through the Fairtrade Premium and more sustainable farming practices.  

Alongside this learning, I developed skills in organisation, project management, prioritisation, attention to detail, collaboration, and communication. The experience particularly strengthened my interest in making sustainability topics clear and engaging. I realised that sustainability becomes more meaningful when people can understand the issue, connect with it personally, and see how their choices contribute to a wider system of change. 

For students thinking about getting involved in sustainability or Fairtrade work, I would say: go for it. These roles offer much more than experience for your CV; they help you contribute to something wider than yourself, whether that is environmental action, ethical trade, or supporting global communities. The most helpful mindset is to stay curious, open, and willing to learn from others. Sustainability work can involve a lot of complexity, so patience and organisation are just as important as passion. Balancing the role alongside studies can be challenging, but planning project hours in advance, asking supervisors for support when needed, and dedicating even one or two focused hours regularly can make the workload much more manageable. Over time, those small hours begin to show real results. 

Looking ahead, I would love to see Fairtrade become more active and visible across the University, beyond occasional campaigns or awareness weeks. Events are important, but Fairtrade could also be linked more strongly with curriculum, research, and student-led projects. Students could explore ethical supply chains, review the use of Fairtrade across cafés and conferences, or help assess how Fairtrade principles are applied on campus. The Fairtrade Student Auditor initiative already points towards this kind of practical involvement, giving future students a chance to build on the work. 

Looking back, being a Fairtrade Curator meant more than creating a timeline. It meant connecting people, policies, student action, and everyday choices into one story. My key takeaway is that sustainability work gives you more than knowledge; it builds transferable skills, especially communication. Most importantly, it reminds you that your work can contribute, in some way, to a fairer future for people, communities, and the environment.