Essen shines in fair splendor: third place in the retail competition!

Essen shines in fair splendor: third place in the retail competition!

A few days ago, exactly on October 29, 2025, the festive awards ceremony for the “Capital of Fair Trade” competition took place in the Old Town Hall in Munich. The city of Essen was able to achieve remarkable recognition and came third in the “Large Municipalities” category. Over 92 municipalities from 13 federal states applied for the award, and Essen particularly impressed the jury with its strong commitment to fair procurement and creative ideas for raising awareness among urban society. This commitment is also reflected in the sustainability strategy and the Charter Faire Metropole Ruhr 2030, which the city has firmly adopted.

Mayor Thomas Kufen was extremely proud of this honor and emphasized the important role of fair trade for Essen. “It is important to us to promote fair conditions,” emphasized Kufen. The award also comes with prize money of 10,000 euros, which can certainly be sensibly invested in other sustainable projects.

Diverse initiatives for fair trade

The city has set itself clear goals: among other things, the promotion of fair trade schools and fair daycare centers as well as the increase in socially responsible products. Educational support also plays a central role; Students from the administrative college work in close cooperation with the city on theses on topics such as fair trade in sports clubs. It is particularly pleasing that young people from Essen, together with the Waldritter e.V. association, have launched an online game called “FairTradeStories” that imparts knowledge about fair trade in a playful way.

Another highlight was the exchange with producers from a fair coffee plantation in Colombia, who had the opportunity to share their experiences directly with the citizens of Essen. Such personal contacts are of central importance in order to raise awareness of the concerns of people in developing countries and to reflect on one's own responsibility as a consumer.

Background and meaning of fair trade

All of this is not just a local phenomenon, but part of a larger, global framework. In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which set 17 global goals to combat poverty and promote sustainable development by 2030. These goals include, among others, gender equality, climate action, education and access to clean drinking water, and offer the opportunity to improve the lives of over 1.3 billion small farmers, who often work in very difficult conditions.

The challenges are significant: over 780 million people still live below the international poverty line and more than 152 million children are affected by child labor. Climate change is putting progress under dangerous pressure. At this point, the role of municipal initiatives like that of Essen becomes particularly important in taking small steps in the right direction.

Overall, the “Fair Trade Capital” competition is an excellent example of how cities can assume their responsibility to sustainably improve not only the lives of their citizens, but also those of people around the world. Further information about the initiatives and goals of the city of Essen can be found in the Essen press release.

To find out more about the commitment and possibilities of fair trade, it's worth taking a look at Fairtrade.net.

The city of Essen is on the right track - and we can't wait to see where this journey leads in the coming years!