Every Friday we round up the most interesting, inspiring or funny stories we came across while conducting research for our news stories. As the world celebrates World Fairtrade Day this Saturday Sarah Morrison examines if Fairtrade is really fair and the scheme’s pros and cons.

Have you read something we should know about? Please let us know in the comments.

Fairtrade: Is it really fair?
As more than 70 countries celebrate World Fair Trade Day on Saturday, Sarah Morrison examines the scheme’s pros and cons

From Bark to Bottle; a Cork Story
For centuries, this versatile material — harvested by stripping the bark from a certain oak species once every decade or so — was the only choice for sealing wine bottles. At its peak, the trade supported thousands of workers, from bark-stripping crews in the rural communities around the forests to the factory workers in towns like Coruche, in southern Portugal.

Lifelong Sustainability Champion
Ahead of the sustainability 24 leadership debate, Adam Werbach discusses climate change, CEOs and the future of sustainability.

It´s Not So Lonely At the Top: Ecosystems Thrive High in the Sky
For all their isolation, the tops of tepuis are not barren. They are like islands in the sky, covered with low forests and shrublands that support a diversity of animals likes frogs and lizards

Scientists Race to Save World´s Rice Bowl from Climate Change
This story is part of a special National Geographic News series on global water issues.

Structuring Decisions in the Interests Of Sustainability 
In the second of a three-part series, the idea of achieving goals through structured decision-making is introduced.

British Columbia Rethinks its Pioneering Carbon Tax
British Columbians are feeling a little lonely in their bid to save the planet.

Salt-Tolerant Rice
Nuclear-powered crops; physics meets biology in a project to breed better strains of rice.

Dirkje Koene is a Copywriter for Fairfood International.

Image: Bruno Girin (CC License)

 Then, this ‘consumer products’ company’ found a lack of sustainability standards available to them, to use as a guide to improve their business practices. This led PepsiCo on a journey where they had to navigate their way through previously unchartered waters.

Now, PepsiCo has undertaken a range of good practice initiatives and their most significant recent initiative is their commitment to create and implement Global Ethical Farming Standards to promote sustainable agriculture within their supply chains. They are reviewing their resource management, analysing their use of water, energy and the emissions that are a by-product of their production processes. They are assessing farm productivity, preservation of soil fertility, and biodiversity and will also assess the social impacts of their operations, such as the effects of production on farming communities. The purpose of reviewing all of these areas is to improve PepsiCo’s supply chain management.

Among the many initiatives that the company is undertaking are the production of healthier products (increasing the amount of fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds and nuts in their products). They are supporting farmers in some major supplying countries, such as Mexico and India, by providing them with funding, technical support and training in an effort to improve crop production and limit environmental impacts, which may ensue. Furthermore, PepsiCo has committed to sourcing 100 percent of their Palm oil, certified by the Roundtable on sustainable Palm oil by 2015.

Addressing all audiences
PepsiCo’s initiatives and their global supplier code of conduct that regulates their supply chains include principles of the International Labour Organisation that address workers’ rights. Additionally, PepsiCo reports on level B on the Global Reporting Initiative, albeit self-checked, this demonstrates a commitment to transparency. We, at Fairfood International, hope that the example set by this international company will encourage other companies to follow suit.

Although it is evident that sustainable practices are important for PepsiCo, the company has historically placed greater emphasis on improving the environmental sustainability of its supply chain than on the other aspects of sustainability, such as the social and economic areas. Now, in an effort to focus more on responsible global sourcing, several projects are being set up.

Dan Bena has stated that the social and economic impact of their projects will be audited this year (the environmental issues were audited in 2011). Tackling the social element of their work will be their greatest challenge. According to Bena this was because “…there we will probably have to supersede what’s technically available locally”.

Moreover, unlike the technology, which is available to remedy some environmental issues, social issues require a different tactic; one that is more focused on qualitative indicators, and continuous improvement, rather than a tick the box audit.

The show has just begun
While Fairfood International applauds PepsiCo’s efforts thus far, we also recognise that their work is not done yet. The company has announced that they will start reforming their supply chains so that they align with environmentally sustainable and socially responsible standards and we are looking forward to hearing more about the results.  And, in order to truly move towards greater sustainability, PepsiCo needs to continue to evaluate its global operations for constant improvement, and continue to engage with stakeholders, such as Fairfood International, to ascertain the areas, which are most in need of improvement.

With the launch of its Global Ethical Farming Standards in 2011, and its continued efforts this year to measure and address its social and economic impacts, PepsiCo has helped set the stage for an industry transformation towards global sustainable agricultural practices. Hence, PepsiCo must continue to lead by example and bring to fruition the transformation we all envision for an emerging sustainable food economy.

Image credits: RaGardner4 (CC License)

ICT Technician
16-40 hrs

Department
The ICT team is responsible for maintaining the ICT infrastructure and providing support while continuously seeking to improve ICT within the organisation. The team maintains IT services, software, mobile phones, 50 workstations and various technical installations for a number of projects. The ICT team is responsible for providing high-quality workstations in a cost-efficient way. Implementation of sustainable ICT and green computing is one of the goals of this project. It will further develop a “virtual office”, allowing employees to work in a geographically independent way, so contributing more efficiently to Fairfood’s goals. The ICT team is in continuous development, both on a policy and operational level. It also acts as a Help Desk and provides technical support to other teams within Fairfood, like Website and Online Media. The ICT department consists of one (1) ICT Manager and two (2) ICT Technicians. The ICTManager reports to the Director of Operations.

Function
As an ICT technician you will provide help and support to the ICT manager and Fairfood teams regarding any or all of those subjects: Accounts creation, Exchange server handling, Firewall management, security enhancements, hardware fixing/repairing, ERP development.

Your competences
You have an HBO/University level of working and thinking related to ICT. You have sufficient knowledge of Microsoft technologies and are preferably competent with Linux Operating Systems and Open Source Software. You are able to work well, both independently and within a team. Obviously, you have a close affinity with Fairfood’s goals.

What we offer?
This is an unpaid position which is suited as an internship to get working experience in this particular field of work and at an NGO. We offer an extremely versatile position within a young international organisation. You will have the freedom and opportunity to continue developing yourself and achieve tangible results. We value our employees and we fully recognise that flexibility in the amount of working hours might be important for you. We do expect, however, that you will work a minimum of sixteen hours a week for a period of three months.

Interested?
If you recognize yourself in this outline and have seen your core qualities detailed above, we would like to meet you. If you are interested, please send your CV and motivation letter to the HR department of Fairfood International: hr@fairfood.org. If there are queries related to the position, please call the following number (+31) 627 24 1227.

Researcher Solution Analysis

Research Department
The Research department is Fairfood’s centre of knowledge. The department collects and organizes up-to-date information and knowledge concerning global trade and food and beverage production. The central focus of the department is research and analysis. The department is led by the Research Director. The department is responsible for four projects: Fairness Issues Analysis, Food Industry Analysis, Corporate Sustainability Analysis and Solution Analysis. The projects are led by four paid managers, each with the support of two to six unpaid researchers.

Goal of the function
Fairfood International encourages companies worldwide to make their food and beverage products sustainable. The project Solution Analysis contributes to this objective by providing assessments and knowledge on existing certification labels, subject-specific schemes, corporate programs and sector & multi-stakeholder initiatives. These initiatives are being adopted by companies to address sustainability problems that occur in their production chains. The initiatives identified in Solution Analysis will be investigated and evaluated on their contribution to address sustainability problems, in order to decide whether they can be recommended as possible solutions to companies. Additionally the project assesses and recommends expert organizations that can support companies in their process of becoming more sustainable and implementing sustainability initiatives outlined above.

Your competences
You are studying at or have graduated from a higher education institution (HBO) or university, or have acquired an equivalent level of working and thinking through professional experience. You have excellent verbal and written skills in English. Furthermore, you are able to work independently, but are also a team player. Obviously, you have affinity with FairfoodInternational’s goals.

What do we offer?
This is an unpaid position suitable as an internship to obtain work experience both in this particular field and at an NGO. We offer a versatile position within a young international organisation. You will have the freedom and opportunity to continue developing yourself and achieve tangible results. We value our employees and fully recognise that flexibility in your working hours might be important for you. We do expect that you will work a minimum of sixteen hours a week for a period of five months.

Interested?
If you recognise yourself in this outline and have seen your core qualities detailed above, we would like to meet you! If interested, send your letter of motivation and CV to Anja de Korver, Manager Solutions Analysis, at anja.dekorver@ fairfood.org.

Sustainability Advocate
Food Companies
Northern Europe 

Department
The Advocacy department’s main responsibility is to encourage companies to make their brand products more sustainable. Fairfood has divided the world into nine regions. Each of these has a small Advocacy office that actively approaches all food companies that have their international head office located in that region. This position reports to the Advocacy Manager.

Function
As Sustainability Advocate you are responsible for helping the Advocacy Manager in encouraging food and beverage brand owners to increase the levels of sustainability and transparency associated with their products. You will research which companies can be approached as advocacy targets. You will approach them and maintain contact by e-mail or by phone in order to create a positive dialogue and encourage them to increase the sustainability of their products. Furthermore you can be involved in approaching other NGO’s to build relationships. For this position you will be working from our office in Amsterdam, and if possible from your own home, for the Manager Advocacy Northern Europe.

Your competences
You are studying at or have graduated from a higher education institution or university or have acquired an equivalent working and thinking level through work experience. Preferably you have knowledge of companies in relation to corporate sustainability. Further, you have excellent verbal and written skills in English. Preferably you also have excellent verbal and written skills in Dutch or/and a Nordic language (i.e. Swedish). You are able to workindependently, but you are also a team player. It is important that you are diplomatic but also persistent. Obviously, you have affinity with Fairfood’s goals. 

What we offer?
This is an unpaid position suitable as an internship to obtain work experience both in this particular field and at a NGO. We offer a versatile position within a young international organisation. You will have the freedom and opportunity to continue developing yourself and achieve tangible results. We value our employees and fully recognize that flexibility in your working hours might be important for you. We do expect, however, that you will work a minimum of sixteen hours a week for a period of three months. Preferable, you are able to start at the beginning of June.

Interested?
If you recognise yourself in this outline and have noticed your core qualities detailed above, we would like to meet you! For enquiries related to the position, contact Eefje van Esch, Sustainability Advocate Northern Europe: eefje.vanesch@fairfood.org. If interested, please send your letter of motivation and CV before 28 May 2012 to eefje.vanesch@fairfood.org.

Have you read something we should know about? Please let us know in the comments. 

A Place for Chickens Outside the Pot
While many still pluck aging birds for the broiler, others seek a pastoral end for chickens that are no longer laying.

A 50-year Plan for Energy
“What if we could make energy do our work without working our undoing?” Amory Lovins 

Sustainability: Lost in Translation?
Articulating concepts of sustainability is one of the most fascinating and worthwhile challenges of our era, says Freya Williams

Amid Rural Decay, Trees Take Root in Silos
Many of these decrepit silos, once used to store feed for livestock, now just hollow columns of cinder blocks, have through happenstance transformed into unlikely nurseries for trees. 

Waiting for the Sun
Is the sun the answer to India´s energy problems?

Waste: Extended Producer Responsibility
Companies are beginning to realise that EPR or product stewardship can help them save, and even make, money. 

Dirkje Koene is a Copywriter for Fairfood International. 

Image: LaPrimaDonna (CC License)

E-Campaigner – Land of Promise Campaign

Department
The Communications department provides the various national and international stakeholders with information. It supports the lobbying approaches to companies and is responsible for creating constant public awareness of the relationship between mainstream brand products and global hunger and poverty. The department is split up into four different projects based on discipline: E-campaigning, Website, Corporate Identity and Public Relations.

Function
The Land of Promise is a three year program set up to motivate the companies in the pineapple industry to make their production and trade methods more sustainable. As an E-campaigner for the Land of Promise Campaign you will be involved in setting up and executing the online communications of the campaign. Some of your responsibilities will be finding partners and managing social media channels (Facebook, Twitter).  Part of your job will be supporting the manager by brainstorming about new possible campaigns, writing proposals, archiving successes, drafting evaluations etc. 

There are possibilities to do research.

Your competences
You are studying at or have graduated from a higher education institution (HBO) or university or have acquired an equivalent working and thinking level through work experience, preferably related to communication.

Fairfood is looking for a person who loves the internet and knows his or her way around any 2.0 platform or community. Preferably, you are experienced in developing and executing online (audiovisual) concepts. You have extensive communications skills in English. Obviously, you have an affinity with Fairfood’s objectives.

What do we offer?
This is an unpaid position, which is suited as an internship to acquire work experience in this particular field of work and at an NGO. We offer a versatile position within a young international organisation. You will have the freedom and opportunity to continue developing yourself and achieve tangible results. We value our employees and we fully recognise that flexibility in the amount of working hours might be important for you. We do expect, however, that you will work a minimum of sixteen hours a week over a period of three months.

Interested?
If you recognise yourself in this outline and have seen your core qualities detailed above, we would like to meet you! For enquiries related to the position contact Heleen Lansu, Manager Land of Promise Campaign: heleen.lansu@fairfood.org or +31 (6) 27 243 707. If interested, send your motivation letter and CV to heleen.lansu@fairfood.org.

Copywriter and Press Officer – Land of Promise Campaign

Department
The Communications department provides the various national and international stakeholders with information. It supports the lobbying approaches to companies and is responsible for creating constant public awareness of the relationship between mainstream brand products and global hunger and poverty. The department is split up into four different projects based on discipline: E-campaigning, Website, Corporate Identity and Public Relations.

Function
The Land of Promise is a three year program set up to motivate the companies in the pineapple industry to make their production and trade methods more sustainable. You will be responsible for the quality of texts for the external communications of the Land of Promise project (articles for the Land of Promise website, press releases, fact sheets, success stories). In close cooperation with the Manager of the project you will work on generating media exposure and building up and maintaining a press database. In addition you will support the manager by brainstorming about new possible campaigns, writing proposals, archiving PR successes, drafting evaluations etc.

 There are possibilities to do research.

Your competences
You are presently studying at or have graduated at a higher education institution (HBO) or university or have acquired equivalent levels of working and thinking through work experience, preferably with a focus on journalism or communications. You have excellent skills in writing and editing texts in English. You take the initiative and you are goal-oriented. You are able to work independently as well as in a team. Obviously, you have an affinity with Fairfood’s objectives.

What do we offer?
This is an unpaid position, which is suited as an internship to acquire work experience in this particular field of work and at an NGO. We offer a versatile position within a young international organisation. You will have the freedom and opportunity to continue developing yourself and achieve tangible results. We value our employees and we fully recognise that flexibility in the amount of working hours might be important for you. We do expect, however, that you will work a minimum of sixteen hours a week over a period of three months.

Interested?
If you recognise yourself in this outline and have seen your core qualities detailed above, we would like to meet you! For enquiries related to the position contact Heleen Lansu, Manager Land of Promise Campaign: heleen.lansu@fairfood.org or +31 (6) 27 243 707. If interested, send your motivation letter and CV to heleen.lansu@fairfood.org.

Damrak served as the backdrop for our growth from a small, predominately, national based organisation to a truly global organisation with front offices situated around the world. It was where we hosted meetings that led to great partnerships and it was in that old office that we achieved many great successes in our quest for a more sustainable food industry.

We hope that our new abode will propel us into a new era in which we can celebrate many more successes. We celebrated this momentous step with a vibrant launch party for our Fairfood staff and board members last Thursday.

We kicked off the festivities with a welcome speech from our Executive Director, Anselm Iwundu.

Members present from our Supervisory Board shared a few words and new members of the Supervisory board were also introduced and welcomed into the organisation.

We already celebrated our first success in the office when Anselm presented the members of our brand new Advisory Board to the rest of the organisation. This Board is a new element within the organisation that will advise the Executive Board on strategic issues connected to the content of the organisation.

After the announcements, there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony and we raised our glasses to toast to what we achieved in the last 10 years, the future of Fairfood International, and to making the global food system sustainable.

Please keep an eye on our website for the launch of our special page dedicated to Fairfood International over the last ten years.

Public Relations Officer

Department
The Communications Department’s main responsibilities are to strengthen our advocacy towards food companies and provide the various international stakeholders with information. By communicating Fairfood International’s message to our target audiences and creating constant public awareness, we encourage companies to shift to more sustainable production processes.

Function
As Public Relations Officer you will help the Manager Public Relations generate media exposure to bring Fairfood’s message across to our audiences. You will assist in maintaining the contact between the Fairfood press office and international (media) partners and journalists. Further, you will help develop content for publication, write or edit texts for press releases, help develop and implement media concepts, and monitor media exposure with online tools. You will support the Manager Public Relations by brainstorming about campaigns, archiving successes or drafting evaluations. In addition, you can assist in the realisation of various other activities in the field of public relations, such as developing and organising debates and events.

Your competences
You are studying at or have graduated from a higher education institution (HBO) or university or have acquired an equivalent level of development in working and thinking through professional experience with preferably a focus on public relations, marketing, journalism or communications. You have an interest in and an understanding of public relations, marketing, journalism and the media. You possess excellent verbal and written skills in English. You take initiative, you enjoy thinking about how to get a message across, are not afraid to pick up a phone to approach external partners and use your creativity to achieve results. Next to that you are able to work independently as well as in a team. Obviously, you have an affinity with Fairfood’s goals and mission.

What do we offer?
This is an unpaid position suitable as an internship to obtain work experience both in this particular field and at an NGO. We offer a versatile position within a young international organisation. You will have the freedom and opportunity to continue developing yourself and achieve tangible results. We value our employees and fully recognise that flexibility of working hours might be important for you. We do expect however that you will work a minimum of sixteen hours a week, preferably more, for a period of three months.

Interested?
If you recognise yourself in this outline and have seen your core qualities detailed above, we would like to meet you! If interested, please send your motivation letter and CV to Abigail Joffre, Manager Public Relations: abigail.joffre@fairfood.org. For queries related to the position, please email or contact Abigail Joffre, +31 627244906.