The University was first awarded its Fairtrade Status back in 2012 and reflects its commitment to offering students and staff Fairtrade products.

The University’s Head of Sustainability Adam Higgin said: “Throughout this and previous academic years, the University’s Students’ Union, Beds SU, has been busy promoting Fairtrade to students and staff and leading on Fairtrade and ethical procurement.”

He added: “All of the coffee served at the Beds SU venue The Metro Bar & Kitchen, is Fairtrade certified and Beds SU also sell a range of University of Bedfordshire branded hoodies which are made from Fairtrade certified cotton.”

Beds SU President, Tara Alade said: “We are proud to offer Fairtrade products wherever possible and we will continue to look at opportunities to extend this offering. Furthermore, we will continue to raise awareness of Fairtrade amongst students and staff at the University, and work with them to support local and national campaigns.”

All of the tea and coffee served at the University, including those served in the new library at the Luton campus, are 100% Fairtrade certified.

The University is also among the top 20 universities in the People & Planet’s University League, an independent league table of UK universities ranked by environmental and ethical performance.

Fairtrade is a social movement whose stated goal is to help producers in developing countries achieve better trading conditions and to promote sustainable farming.

Find out more about the University’s Sustainability Policy here: www.beds.ac.uk/sustainability