Menu
Trade for Development Centre is a programme of Enabel, the Belgian development agency.
We believe that fair and sustainable trade are a way to decrease poverty. It gives smallholders in the South the opportunity to develop in a sustainable way. We work around three main themes: producer support, sharing information and raising awareness.
Here you will find our most recent publications in order of appearance. The last published will be in the front.
Ray & Jules combines a desire to improve the world with a background in engineering. “The coffee sector produces 60 million tons of CO2 every year. We want to bring that down to zero. It’s ambitious, but doable. Technology like ours can open up new horizons in a sector that has been doing the same thing for over a hundred years. And with all of the associated consequences”, says co-owner Gert Linthout. Introducing a world-first: using solar energy to roast fairtrade coffee.
Every two years, the Trade for Development Centre publishes a barometer on fair trade, a survey that aims to present the awareness of fair trade in Belgium and the opinion and behaviour of Belgians on this topic. This year, questions were asked about changes in purchasing behaviour in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Welcome to the Harvest Club, in the heart of Leuven. Stefanie Vereecken selects a wide range of clothing, home décor, accessories and beauty and care products for her sociable concept store. All from suppliers with their heart in the right place, just like Stefanie. Want to take a look inside?
The EU wants to launch a legal framework for corporate due diligence with regard to human rights and the environment by 2021. “I see more and more support, also from companies. They are the ones asking for more certainty, to create a level playing field”, said European Commissioner Didier Reynders at a debate on the topic of CSR in company supply chains on the 29th of September.
Koakaka is a coffee cooperative from Rwanda that produces top quality coffee. Despite this, the cooperative – like many in the region – faced many challenges: demanding buyers, small profit margins and a lack of market knowledge.
In 2016 Koakaka was selected for a coaching module in marketing and in business management of TDC. This gave them all the tools to strengthen their position on the international market. Successfully!
Coronavirus, climate change, exploding inequality, destruction of biodiversity…the increasing number of crises is forcing us to face facts: we need to take a different approach to trade. We must accelerate the ecological and solidarity-based transition our society needs. And fair trade is the trump card to help achieve this.
