uk.superbrands.com Superbrands UK Vol. 23 The Fairtrade Foundation is a charity that makes trade work for everyone: farmers andworkers, consumers, businesses, and the environment. For over 25 years, the Fairtrade Foundation has developed fairer and more sustainable trading relationships between UK shoppers and two million farmers and workers Market The Fairtrade Foundation is the UK member of Fairtrade International, a global umbrella organisation co-ordinating and connecting co-operatives, networks of farmers and other National Fairtrade labelling organisations. Products carrying the FAIRTRADE Mark are sold in 160 countries, and in all major UK retailers. Using Fairtrade Standards, developed in partnership with farmers, the Fairtrade Foundation licenses the use of the FAIRTRADE Mark in the UK. This shows shoppers that economic, environmental and social requirements have been met and farmers have received a fairer price for their crop. Furthermore, farmers receive the Fairtrade Premium, an amount to invest in their businesses and communities. In 2021, UK sales of Fairtrade products generated £25.2m for farmers to invest in essentials such as healthcare, education, housing and water as well as developing their businesses and caring for their local environment. A pioneer of ethical labelling, Fairtrade remains a leading and trustworthy champion for social and climate justice – even as ethical certification labels proliferate in the UK market. Nine in 10 UK consumers are aware of the FAIRTRADE Mark – higher than all other ethical labels – and 8 in 10 consumers trust it. Furthermore, 76% of UK consumers have chosen Fairtrade products over an alternative (Source: Kantar, 2022). However, Fairtrade is more than just a label. It is an international movement with deep roots in advocacy, campaigning, and farmer representation across Fairtrade’s governance – supporting farmers and workers to protect their rights, land, health and future livelihoods. Fairtrade’s origins lie in the vibrant community of passionate supporters, within schools, universities, workplaces, towns, cities and places of worship, which are at the heart of a global Fairtrade movement. Across the UK today, there are over 2,000 grassroots campaigning groups. Product The first Fairtrade labelled products were launched in the UK in 1994. By 2005, over 900 Fairtrade certified products were on sale. Today, the FAIRTRADE Mark appears on around 4,500 different products in retail and catering outlets across the UK. Businesses who choose Fairtrade certification and partner with the Foundation on programmes show that they are committed to workers’ rights and environmental protection – it’s more important than ever that all businesses identify and tackle harmful practices for both farmers and the environment within supply chains. Fairtrade partners with some of the UK’s biggest retailers and brands – including the Co-op, Greggs, Mars and Ben & Jerry’s – on certifying products ranging from bananas, chocolate and coffee to cosmetics, flowers and wine. Fairtrade also works with smaller companies and social enterprises, such as Divine Chocolate, Traidcraft and Zaytoun, that make trading fairly the core of their mission. The Fairtrade Sourced Ingredient (FSI) certification – a separate label to indicate that individual product ingredients are Fairtrade certified – offers companies greater flexibility to incorporate single Fairtrade ingredients such as coconut, sugar, cocoa and olive oil into their product ranges, increasing opportunities for farmers to sell on Fairtrade terms. Achievements Recent commitments from partners continue to create change for farmers and workers, with Lidl GB announcing in 2022 that it would become the first UK retailer to convert all of its cotton staff uniforms to Fairtrade, with a commitment to purchase 330,000 shirts, trousers, polo tops and chinos, worn by 22,000 store colleagues. This equates to a volume of 175 metric tonnes of Fairtrade certified cotton, supporting farmers in India. In an industry first, Co-op committed to stocking 100% of its South African wine as Fairtrade in 2022. Co-op is already the world’s largest retailer for Fairtrade wine, selling 14.5 million litres in 2020. During the recent pandemic, more than 800,000 farmers and workers in nearly 60 countries were supported by Fairtrade’s £13.6m Covid-19 Relief and Resilience Fund. Direct financial support was delivered to smallholder farmers and workers hit hardest. One Fairtrade project supported 6,000 Kenyan flower workers with health packages, kitchen gardens for food security and training to boost job opportunities. Fairtrade is the most recognised and trusted ethical label in the world* DID YOU KNOW? *Source: GlobeScan, 2021
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzM4MjU2