- Fairtrade Foundation’s new campaign, ‘Be the Change’, highlights how consumer power can support farmers overseas to build stronger, more resilient communities.
- An out of home advertising campaign will run outside flagship supermarkets in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London and Manchester thanking citizens for their support.
- New YouGov research shows that almost 9 in 10 Britons value fair pay for farmers and workers and 69% say they have bought a Fairtrade product. Younger people tend to associate Fairtrade with bananas and chocolate, whereas older people are less likely to associate Fairtrade with chocolate.
- Most UK adults are concerned about the supply of food to the UK, with 60% wanting more action from politicians.
We all have the power to help protect the future of our everyday essentials including bananas, cocoa and coffee, through the cumulative impact of our purchasing decisions, a new campaign for Fairtrade Fortnight 2024 will show.
Two new YouGov research studies commissioned by the Fairtrade Foundation show that Britain’s most popular Fairtrade buy is bananas (57%), closely followed by chocolate (54%) and coffee (43%).
Entitled ‘Be the Change’, Fairtrade Fortnight will celebrate the impact created by millions of people across the UK for farmers and agricultural workers overseas by choosing Fairtrade chocolate, coffee, tea, bananas, flowers, and more – with around 7 in 10 UK adults (69%) having said they bought a Fairtrade product during the last year.
Thanks to public support and company commitments, £1.7 billion in Fairtrade Premium payments have been generated globally between 1994 and 2022. In 2023, retail sales of Fairtrade products generated around £28 million in Fairtrade Premium payments for producers to invest in business, community and projects of their choice including healthcare, education and environmental initiatives.
Throughout Fairtrade Fortnight, billboards strategically placed outside supermarkets in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London and Manchester to catch shoppers’ eyes will riff off the research to highlight regional trends and congratulate shoppers for supporting farmers worldwide.
In Edinburgh for example, an amazing 9 in every 10 adults (89%) bought a Fairtrade product. Meanwhile the biggest Fairtrade chocolate fans could be found in Bristol, where 65% of adults have been enjoying Fairtrade chocolate.
Supermarkets and leading brands are putting on an exciting range of offers in stores, including the Co-op offering 10% discount on selected Fairtrade products for their members. Shoppers can also look out for some of their favourite brands joining in with the Fairtrade Fortnight celebrations, including the likes of Maltesers, Ben & Jerry’s, Green & Blacks, Clipper, Tony’s Chocolonely, Cafedirect and Guylian.
Marie Rumsby, the Fairtrade Foundation’s Director of Advocacy, said: “This Fairtrade Fortnight is extra special as we celebrate 30 years supporting farmers and working for global trade justice. Every Fairtrade purchase makes a difference to farmers’ lives, and we want to remind shoppers that when they next visit a supermarket, they choose products with the Fairtrade logo, as these ensure farmers receive fairer prices for their hard work and can invest in their families and communities.”
“Fairtrade’s Minimum Price, Premium payments and Standards – and the fair prices they guarantee – mean farmers who produce our much-loved products like coffee, tea, bananas and chocolate can afford to put food on the table, send their children to school, cover their farm costs, and adapt to the changing climate.”
“Without the stability a fairer trade system provides – and as farmers tell us climate change is making it harder to grow crops – it is more important now than ever to show solidarity so future generations of farmers will be able to continue farming. But choosing to buy Fairtrade products helps build their resilience to these global challenges and helps keep our favourite products on our supermarket shelves.”
Thanks to these and other purchases, Fairtrade supports 10 million people around the world – farmers, workers and their families – who are building healthier, stronger, and more resilient communities, with improved choice and better life chances through access to healthcare and education.
- The research reveals that significant sections of the British public continue to back fair prices and fairer terms of trade for overseas farmers:
- 85% of UK adults think farmers in low-income countries should receive stable and fair pay for the products they grow.
- People are buying Fairtrade for the right reasons: over half (54%) of UK adults understand that buying Fairtrade has a positive impact on the lives of farmers and workers.
For many years Fairtrade has highlighted how climate change is making fair prices even more urgent. Without the ability to invest in their farms, how can producers hope to mitigate the impact of global heating, and the risks to production and supply? Price matters, more than ever. The majority of the UK public share these concerns, with the latest poll revealing that 4 in every 5 adults in the UK (79%) are concerned about the potential effect of climate change on the price of food in the UK. Meanwhile a similarly high number – 69% – are concerned about the potential effect of climate change on the supply of food in the UK.
One Colombian Fairtrade banana farmer, Maria Doris Calvo Ortiz, recently told Fairtrade: “Sometimes, we feel like we can’t keep going, that we’ll have to give up. But then we remember the support we get from people choosing Fairtrade. It’s what keeps us going and allows us to take care of our families and our community, one banana at a time.” As bananas are sensitive to changing rainfall and weather patterns, farmers can lose entire harvests when disaster strikes.
In addition to urging shoppers to ‘Be the Change’ to help reach more farmers who face the challenges posed by an unfair trade system and the impacts of climate change, Fairtrade is also calling on businesses and politicians to play their part.
The UK public support this call, with 60% of UK adults saying politicians should be doing more to ensure farmers and other agricultural workers in low-income countries are paid fairly.
Marie added: “Buying Fairtrade is essential, but shoppers can’t ‘Be the Change’ on their own: we need the support of businesses and government to transform our global trade system so that it supports the millions of farmers and workers who produce our food. This Fortnight, we are calling on the UK public to join us in asking their newly elected MPs to pledge to ‘Be the Change’ to make trade fair, and for the new government to develop a trade policy that genuinely works for people and planet.”
Meanwhile, thousands of grassroots supporters in communities, schools, places of worship and universities are organising hundreds of special events across the country to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight and 30 years of supporting farmers and workers overseas.
To find out more about Fairtrade Fortnight, visit: www.fairtrade.org.uk/get-involved/current-campaigns/fairtrade-fortnight/
#FairtradeFortnight #BeTheChange
ENDS
Notes to editors:
For more information and interviews please contact: martine.parry@fairtrade.org.uk or laura.ouseley@fairtrade.org.uk
Tel: M: 07886 301486/M: 07909 875 956
Or contact media@fairtrade.org.uk
Experienced broadcast spokespeople available for interview: Mike Gidney, Fairtrade Foundation CEO, Marie Rumsby, Fairtrade Foundation Director of Advocacy and Fairtrade campaigners and organisers around the UK
Photos, stories, quotes and interviews with Fairtrade farmers and producers can also be arranged upon request.
YouGov Surveys:
Two new YouGov surveys were commissioned by Fairtrade Foundation and conducted for Fairtrade Fortnight 2024:
• National: All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,159 adults, of which 208 live in London. Fieldwork was undertaken between 26th – 28th July 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
• UK cities (London, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Cardiff): All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1018 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 22nd – 29th July 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all city adults (aged 18+).
Fairtrade sales and impact figures:
• 2023 Sales figures taken from Fairtrade’s 2023 Annual Report. Available here: Social and annual reports – Fairtrade
• There are around 5,000 Fairtrade products on sale in the UK, found in every major retailer, and sales continue to rise. Fairtrade cocoa sales grew by 6% and tea by 5% in 2023. There was also growth in sales of Fairtrade gold (volumes rose by 25%), fresh vegetables (15%) and nuts and oil seeds (12%).
• Facts and figures about the impact of 30 years of Fairtrade in the UK can be found in Fairtrade’s 2024 report ‘Growing our Movement for Change’: Growing Our Movement For Change – Fairtrade
About Fairtrade
• Fairtrade changes the way trade works through better prices, decent working conditions, and a fairer deal for farmers and workers in low-income countries. Visit: Fairtrade Foundation website: fairtrade.org.uk