Brands' stance on Fairtrade products helps sales past £1bn

SALES of Fairtrade products have soared in the past year thanks to the standard being adopted by some of Britain's biggest brands.

Top-selling chocolate bars such as Kit Kat and Dairy Milk, which now carry the Fairtrade mark, have helped sales to rise by 40 per cent in 2010 to an estimated retail value of 1.17 billion compared with 836 million in 2009.

The new figures were revealed by the Fairtrade Foundation as it launched Fairtrade Fortnight 2011, which begins today.

The group said the statistics showed UK shoppers were continuing to embrace often more expensive Fairtrade and adopt ethical values despite tough economic times.

Britons are now consuming about 9.3 million cups of tea, 6.4m cups of coffee, 2.3 million chocolate bars, 530,000 cups of drinking chocolate and 3.1 million bananas which are all Fairtrade.

New categories are also growing, with more than a million cosmetic products made with Fairtrade ingredients sold in 2010.

Harriet Lamb, the Fairtrade Foundation's executive director, said sales were increasing because Fairtrade was both wanted by the public and also made business sense. She also claimed the scheme was "working" for millions of farmers and workers.

She said: "They'll 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. This first billion shows the potential for change.

"If the public, businesses and producers can now build on that momentum, Fairtrade could get to 2 bn by the end of 2012.

"It's ambitious, but it really would be game-changing."

The extension of Fairtrade ranges into new areas, such as cosmetics, has opened opportunities for more producers.

The Co-operative chain recently vowed to convert to Fairtrade all commodities that can be, starting with bananas.

Topshop, Waitrose, Duchy Originals, Marks & Spencer and Schwartz have all made commitments to increase their use of Fairtrade products.

However, some product categories have struggled in the midst of recession, such as fresh fruit and flowers. 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.

Making a mark

For a product to display the Fairtrade mark it must meet the international Fairtrade standards.

Producers must satisfy minimum standards for socially responsible production and trade and prove they support the development of disadvantaged and marginalised small-scale farmers and plantation workers. Standards must meet various development criteria.