Earlier this month the Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium (SUPC) co-signed an open letter with Electronics Watch (EW) clarifying the nature of SUPCS’ affiliation. Electronics Watch is a worker-driven monitoring organisation which audits supply chains within the global electronics industry, an industry which has been identified as high risk for modern slavery as well as a raft of other workers rights abuses.

Before the Sweatshop Free campaign, admittedly, I had never considered the possibility that the electronics that universities purchase could be made in sweatshops, which shows my own ignorance on such an intricate issue. At University of East Anglia (UEA), I chose a module titled ‘Activist Campaigning’ as it wasn’t a typical essay-based module about political theorists; it was going to be practical and engaging and I was grateful to have it offered to me.

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Barclays Condemned for ‘Fuelling the Next Crisis’ After Rejecting Climate Motion

Reading University affiliates to Electronics Watch!

“If we expect our students to care more about sustainability we should be setting an example to our community and Electronics Watch does exactly that. We are embedding sustainability within University procurement processes and demonstrating our commitment to tackle issues that are at the heart of the University.”

We chat to Molli Cleaver, RUSU President, about the journey her and her fellow Officers have been on to lobby the university to affiliate to Electronics Watch.