Twenty years ago, the FAIRTRADE Mark appeared on just three products: Green & Black’s Maya Gold chocolate, Cafedirect medium roast coffee, and Clipper tea. Today, the FAIRTRADE Mark is the most widely-known ethical label in the world and UK shoppers can now choose from over 4,500 Fairtrade products including tea, coffee, cocoa, chocolate, bananas, sugar, cotton, gold jewellery, cut flowers, wine and cosmetics. UK sales were estimated at £1.73 billion for 2013.
Remarkable growth of Fairtrade
At a conference held in London to celebrate 20 years of the FAIRTRADE Mark in the UK, Michael Gidney, Chief Executive of the Fairtrade Foundation, will say that after the banking crisis, the horsemeat scandal, the Rana Plaza factory disaster, and nearly 285,000 farmer suicides in India since 1995, the idea of ‘free trade’ has been exposed as “a myth that’s had its day”, which only benefits a powerful few at the expense of the many.
Pointing to slavery as the worst example of supply chain exploitation, Mr Gidney will reflect on the remarkable growth of Fairtrade over the last two decades – UK sales were estimated at £1.73bn in 2013 – and say that by acting together, consumers, companies, campaigners and governments have the power to make trade fairer and transform lives.
New initiatives
He will announce a number of new initiatives that reflect Fairtrade’s increasingly broad focus “from labelling to enabling”, including a new project to champion women coffee farmers in East Africa, grants for ethical businesses to help them deliver improvements for farmers and workers, and new programmes to boost sales of Fairtrade sugar, cocoa and cotton.
The power of Fairtrade
International Development Secretary, Justine Greening said: “The power of Fairtrade, championed by some of Britain’s best brands, is undeniable. It is influencing how businesses work in developing countries and transforming the lives of the world’s poorest people. DFID investment of £18 million over six years in Fairtrade will open up markets in more hard to reach places and on top of that, break down trade barriers faced by women. Enabling the world’s poorest people to get a fair price for what they produce helps end poverty and also creates tomorrow’s new markets for us to trade with.”
Companies have played a key role
Along with consumers and campaigners, companies have played a key role in supporting the growth of Fairtrade in the UK.
Global brands including Ben & Jerry’s and Starbucks Coffee Company spoke at the event about their commitment to trading fairly. Mark Price, Managing Director, Waitrose, and Deputy Chairman, The John Lewis Partnership, said: “There are countless people across the globe who owe Fairtrade the greatest possible debt. Waitrose shares with Fairtrade its principles of community development, collaboration and long term sustainability. We look forward to continuing to work with Fairtrade to ensure a fairer future for all.”
Beneficiaries and co-owners
Reflecting on the impact that has been delivered by Fairtrade, Chief Adam Tampuri, Ghanaian cashew nut farmer and Chair of Fairtrade Africa, will say: “Over the last 20 years, the Fairtrade movement has made a significant different to farmers and workers around the world, through the payment of a fair price, a premium that can be invested in businesses and communities, and the empowerment that comes from being able to work towards a more sustainable future.
“Producers now own 50% of the Fairtrade system, which means that people in the south are not just beneficiaries, but co-owners. There is much to celebrate, but also much more to do, to unlock more of the benefits of Fairtrade, and extend its reach, so that greater impact can be achieved over the next 20 years and beyond.”
Fairtrade benefits 1.4m farmers and workers in more than 70 developing countries, by ensuring they receive a fair, stable price for their produce, better working conditions, and a Fairtrade Premium that can be invested in their business or in projects that will benefit their community, such as classrooms, clinics, clean drinking water or climate adaptation programmes.
The UK is the world’s largest Fairtrade market, and in 2013 UK shoppers bought an estimated £1.7bn of Fairtrade products, which resulted in over £26m of Fairtrade Premiums being paid to producers.
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