The UK spends £27 billion on clothes each year. 
…But the human and environmental cost is far greater.

According to Fashion Revolution and the Fairtrade Foundation, 77% of UK retailers think that it is likely that modern slavery exists in their supply chains - and only 13% of the world’s cotton is produced sustainably.

Currently, much of this cost goes totally unacknowledged.

It is hidden in opaque supply chains; maintained by corrupt systems and supported by consumers like us. 

We’re a group of students from the University of Bristol who believe that this needs to change.

This is an enormous issue - and so we want to start small and local - with the University of Bristol Students Union shop: The Basket. Currently, only 41% of the cotton products sold at the University of Bristol Students Union shop are Fairtrade. [Check out our website for more details]. The remaining 59% of the SU’s products are sourced through NUS: who have some brilliant sustainability goals - but who we think, with dedicated work - could do much better in their fair practice.

We want to show Bristol SU and NUS that University students across the UK - as well as their supporting networks - do care about the people who make our clothes. That we won’t stand for abuse and that we're committed to working for this change.

----

We’re already in discussions with Bristol SU and NUS to see how we can move forwards towards better practice. This is great, and we are so thankful for how they have responded so far. 

However, we need your help. 

We want to ask the University of Bristol SU Shop to become 100% fairly traded.

Importantly, we want this to happen before September/October, when the next big bulk of society merchandise will be ordered through the shop.

If we want to see this change in such a short time scale, then we need to show them that this issue matters to students and their supporting networks - and that it matters, now.

So if you attend the University of Bristol, another university in the UK or support someone (friend, family, colleague) who does, then please sign our petition asking the SU shop to become 100% fairly traded. The more signatures that we can get, the better. This tells the SU and NUS that the student body and its networks are committed to change. We also hope that this will help spark the debate and spread the word in the University context. 

Please check out our website for more information, and please share this as widely as possible!