Fairtrade is no marketing gimmick for big brands

A couple of years ago, you would have been forgiven for touting Fairtrade, organic and ‘green’ as fads that would pass us by with the same speed Tamagotchis and ‘girl power’ did. Instead, the Fairtrade movement is gaining momentum and becoming more and more mainstream with big brands such as Cadbury’s and Ben & Jerry’s declaring their commitment.

Last week, Sainsbury’s was named as the UK’s largest retailer of Fairtrade products with sales of £218m, up 10% from 2008.

In the overall Fairtrade market, sales were up on 2008 by 12% to an estimated retail value of over £799m, according to UN Millennium Development Goal.

Despite the tough economic conditions, new research from IGD shows shoppers are showing increasing concern over the welfare of people and countries producing their food.

The study found that more than half (52%) of shoppers feel that the pay and conditions of people producing their groceries in poorer countries is an important consideration, while an additional third (34%) would like these workers to enjoy good conditions even if they don’t normally think about it.

The resilience of the trend, even throughout a recession, sends out a strong message, according to Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive of IGD.

This ‘consumer with a conscience’ stance is being heard by large food manufacturers as well as the supermarkets with Fairtrade labels appearing on more everyday items other than our bananas and oranges.

Sainsbury’s stocks more than 800 different Fairtrade products, including bananas, clothing and Sainsbury’s-brand tea, coffee and sugar. It is estimated that almost a quarter of the UK’s Fairtrade spending is done at Sainsbury’s.

Also last week, ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s confirmed its commitment to go fully Fairtrade across its entire global portfolio. The company has pledged that by the end of 2013 all of its flavours will be converted to Fairtrade CertifiedTM ingredients.

Ben & Jerry’s was the first ice cream company in the world to use Fairtrade CertifiedTM ingredients starting in 2005. Now it is racing ahead as the first ice cream company to make such a significant commitment to Fairtrade across its entire global portfolio.

Company co-founder Jerry Greenfield, in appealing to that consumer conscience, said last week that Fairtrade “goes to the heart of our values and sense of right and wrong”. All Ben & Jerry’s ice creams will be fully Fairtrade CertifiedTM by 2013.

Premium organic chocolate maker Green & Black’s has also dedicated itself to going Fairtrade. It will implement Fairtrade practices across the vast majority of its block chocolate and beverages range this year.

The move continues on a steady push toward Fairtrade by confectioners over the past year, with Nestlé also committing to Fairtrade cocoa for its Kit Kat brand.

According to YouGov, 71% of consumers that don’t already buy everything they can Fairtrade, say they are willing to swap one or more products to Fairtrade by the end of this month.

And with the government now promising £12m to help increase the amount of Fairtrade products, for brands, going Fairtrade won’t only help their producers, but their bottom lines too.

Other Fairtrade converts include Starbucks, Tesco Finest Tea, Tate & Lyle, Boots, Lush, Bubble & Balm, Neal’s Yard and Pret A Manger.

 

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Your comments

Alison Cairns, Nestle Corporate Affairs 25-Feb-10 10.57

Nestlé UK intends to Fairtrade certify its entire Kit Kat range. Only Kit Kat four finger is Fairtrade certified at the moment due to a lack of availability of sufficient volumes of Fairtrade certified cocoa from the Ivory Coast. We are committed to improving the lives of as many cocoa farming families as possible and yes, more than 6,000 Ivorian farmers will benefit immediately. We continue to work with the Fairtrade Foundation to identify additional co-ops to supply the remaining volumes of cocoa to certify the whole of the Kit Kat brand in the UK & Ireland. Kit Kat certification is one step on our sustainable sourcing journey and part of a much broader global commitment to improve conditions for cocoa farming communities. The Nestlé Cocoa Plan represents a £65 million investment over the next ten years in programmes to address the key economic, social and environmental issues facing cocoa farming communities and will support farmers from the point at which they plant a cocoa sapling right through to giving them a market for their beans. The Cocoa Plan builds on the £35 million that Nestlé has invested in cocoa sustainability initiatives in the last 15 years, particularly in the areas of plant science and initiatives to address social concerns such as child labour. Further details are available at www.thecocoaplan.com

Trotboy 14-Jun-10 22.43

I'm sure it must be a great comfort to poor Africans or South Americans whose children died due to the aggressive marketing by Nestle of their formula milk that Nestle now buys a whole 1% of it's total cocoa purchase to Fairtrade standards and that two of it's 8500 products are now Fairtrade! Perhaps it will pay for a flower for the grave?

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