| PRESS RELEASE / FAIRTRADE FOUNDATION |
UK Fairtrade Sales Cross The Billion-Pound Mark
Figures released by the Fairtrade Foundation reveal that every day in the UK, people are consuming some 9.3 million cups of Fairtrade tea, 6.4 million cups of Fairtrade coffee, 2.3 million chocolate bars, 530,000 cups of Fairtrade drinking chocolate and 3.1 million Fairtrade bananas. New categories are also growing with over 1 million cosmetic products using Fairtrade ingredients also being sold in 2010.
According to the Fairtrade Foundation’s Executive Director, Harriet Lamb, “It is fantastic to break the first billion. Millions of Fair Trade farmers will be cheering to know that UK shoppers and businesses still care. The challenges of global poverty and inequality are more serious than ever, especially for the farmers who grow the coffee, tea, bananas, rice or cotton on which we depend here in the UK.”
The extension of Fairtrade range into new areas such as cosmetics has opened up opportunities for more producers in the past year. Juliana Sampana, a shea nut gatherer from the Akoma Co-operative in Ghana, which has recently started selling shea butter into the UK Fairtrade cosmetics market, says: ‘The women who are from poor communities like Pusu-Namogo are blessed. Many women in our region and elsewhere have over the years worked so hard to put food on their tables for their families through farming and other odd jobs but end up with an unfair income leading to several deficiencies as a result of poor dieting. The majority of their money is spent on treating deficiency-related illnesses such as kwashiorkor, beriberi and skin rashes. With Fairtrade the women are assured of receiving a fair wage for their hard work.’ With the Fairtrade premiums they have now earned, the women have been able to provide health insurance as well as buy school uniforms for their children. Juliana is visiting the UK to speak at Fairtrade Fortnight events.
Support for Fairtrade in local communities continues to surge in the UK, where the FAIRTRADE Mark is recognised by 74% of the public . Vibrant community campaigns in more than 500 Fairtrade Towns across the country, along with thousands of schools and universities, faith groups (Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu), are helping the public make a personal and local connection to Fairtrade.
Responding to that public support, major company moves to Fairtrade which have contributed to 2010 growth figures include Cadbury Dairy Milk, all Starbucks espresso-based coffee, Nestle’s four-finger KitKat, Sainsbury’s tea, coffee and sugar, Morrison’s roast and ground coffee, Tesco Finest Tea and Tate & Lyle retail sugar. And the growth is set to continue throughout 2011 with Ben & Jerry’s still rolling out their commitment to make every ingredient they use, from sugar to nuts to cocoa, Fairtrade that can be Fairtrade in the UK by the end of 2011 and Green & Black’s conversion of their entire range of chocolate bars and beverages in the UK to 100% Fairtrade, by the end of this year.
Fresh commitments for Fairtrade Fortnight 2011 include The Co-operative’s announcement to convert all commodities that can be Fairtrade to Fairtrade by 2013, starting with bananas; Topshop’s launch of a new range of Fairtrade cotton denim; Waitrose’s conversion of the majority of Waitrose Tea to Fairtrade as well as several products in the Duchy Originals range; M&S’s introduction of a new Fairtrade cotton range as part of its Indigo Green label; and the spice and herb company Schwartz’s announcement that it is launching four new Fairtrade herbs - basil, mint, marjoram and dill – later in the year.
Meanwhile, Aldi is launching its first Fairtrade product range, including bananas, coffee, tea and chocolate; and Sainsbury’s will offer a new coffee for Comic Relief from the Democratic Republic of Congo, aimed at helping farmers in a conflict-ridden land. The pioneering Fairtrade companies have also introduced new products including the first Fairtrade raisins from Afghanistan launched by Tropical Wholefoods to support small-scale farmers in the Parwan province. TKMaxx and Comic Relief are using Fairtrade certified cotton from Mali for this year’s Red Nose Day T-shirts, designed by Vivienne Westwood.
The Fairtrade Foundation has broken new ground too with the world’s first Fairtrade and Fairmined gold, from artisanal miners in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, in partnership with the Alliance for Responsible Mining, with 21 companies already signed up to take part in the scheme.
Against a picture of overall growth, however, some product categories have struggled in the midst of recession. In particular, Fairtrade cotton sales have declined in the past year, as ethical ranges struggle to compete with a continuing trend for cheap, fast fashion.
The Fairtrade Foundation has been particularly concerned about the restriction of market opportunities for cotton farmers in West African countries such as Mali, Senegal and Cameroon. As well as a campaign targeting the European Commission on the issue of continued global cotton subsidies, campaigners are putting a special focus on cotton during Fairtrade Fortnight, including an attempt to break the record for the world’s longest - and fairest - string of cotton bunting and bring attention to the plight of West African cotton farmers.
The theme of this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight is Show Off Your Label, to encourage people to have fun as they discuss the serious values of sustainability, fairness, opportunity and empowerment that lie behind the FAIRTRADE Mark.
Photo Courtesy: http://www.fairtrade.org.uk
To read the full story: Fairtrade sales soar to well over £1bn showing the UK still cares in tough times
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