- Fairness rethought: “Fair Wear Works” focuses on sustainable sportswear at the German Gymnastics Festival
- Broad campaign: digital advertising spaces, posters and exhibition raise awareness of social and ecological responsibility.
Strong commitment:500 volunteers with organic cotton gym bags inform and promote sustainable sports projects
The International German Gymnastics Festival in Leipzig takes fairness a step further – far beyond the sporting competition. As part of the major sporting event, the “Fair Wear Works” project is getting the idea of fairness moving with a large-scale campaign – and shining a spotlight on the challenges facing the textile industry. The message: fairness does not end on the sidelines.
Under the motto “Fairändert”, the campaign uses eye-catching campaigns to draw attention to the importance of sustainable sports textiles. Digital advertising spaces, posters in the shared accommodation, postcards and a central exhibition raise awareness of social and ecological responsibility in sport among the thousands of participants and guests from all over the world.
The campaign was initiated by the environmental foundation Global Nature Fund, which is implementing the “Fair Wear Works” project together with the women’s rights organization FEMNET. The aim is to promote fair procurement in sport and support clubs on their way to responsible purchasing of sportswear. “The gymnastics festival brings together people of all generations and backgrounds – it’s the ideal place to think about the topic of fairness in a holistic way,” emphasizes Bettina Faust from the Global Nature Fund.
One highlight of the campaign is the “Sport Fairändert” ideas competition: sports clubs are invited to submit their innovative projects for more social and ecological commitment and win sustainable jersey sets.
At the heart of the colorful festival are also 3,500 volunteers, equipped with gym bags made of GOTS-certified organic cotton and visible FAIR messages. “The best ambassadors are the people themselves,” says Bettina Faust. The trained volunteers provide information about grievances in the textile industry and demonstrate practical solutions for greater sustainability.
With this initiative, the Fair Wear Works project is sending out a strong signal: Fairness is more than a sporting value – it affects everything we do, on and off the pitch.
The most important dates relating to sustainable materials, fair procurement and responsible club management:
Interview: “Sustainable functional materials”
Friday, May 30, 2025, 15:15-16:00, Glass Hall at Leipziger Messe
Moderator: Clemens Loecke
Expert: Bettina Faust
Training seminar: “Sustainable procurement in the association”
Saturday, May 31, 2025, 11:15-12:30, Exhibition Hall M1, Leipziger Messe
Speaker: Bettina Faust
Keynote speech with audience participation: “Fair procurement”
Saturday, May 31, 2025, 14:00-14:45, Mobile Green Room, sustainability area at St. Thomas Church, Leipzig city center
With: Sport handelt Fair, Benjamin Zeise – topic sports balls
The “Fair Wear Works” project is funded by ENGAGEMENT GLOBAL gGmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the German Postcode Lottery and Fairtrade Germany. The funding will be used to implement a fairness campaign as part of the project at the International German Gymnastics Festival 2025.
The project partners:
The Global Nature Fund is an internationally active foundation for the environment and nature conservation. With projects such as Fair Wear Works, the GNF is committed to promoting sustainable business practices and fair working conditions. www.globalnature.org/fair-wear-works/
FEMNET e.V. is a women’s rights organization that has been campaigning for better working conditions in the global garment industry for over 15 years through political commitment, educational and advisory work and projects abroad.
Ideas competition: https://www.turnfest.de/nachhaltigkeit/fairnesskampagne/ideenwettbewerb-sport-fairaendert
