- Sales of Fairtrade confectionery were up 4 times as much
- Sales of Fairtrade hot drinks were up 3 times as much
The Fairtrade Foundation has reported a strong uplift in retail sales of Fairtrade products driven by its annual flagship campaign Fairtrade Fortnight which ran for the first time in September.
According to data from Kantar’s Worldpanel 2024 – which consists of real data scanned in by panelists – Fairtrade sales of confectionery, hot drinks and bananas outperformed that of total volumes versus the 2 weeks prior to the campaign (2 w/e 8th September 2024).
Many farmers overseas are under pressure to respond to risks such as poor working conditions, climate change and often lack the income security to do so. Selling more of what they produce on Fairtrade terms allows them to tackle these issues and invest in their farms and their communities.
The research showed that:
- 41% more Fairtrade confectionery was sold during Fairtrade Fortnight compared to the previous two weeks, ranking higher than total confectionery sales which saw a 10% uplift.
- Meanwhile, retail sales volumes of Fairtrade hot drinks grew by 12% compared with total hot drinks (4%).
- Retail sales volumes of Fairtrade bananas increased by 2% vs total bananas (-1%).
The two-week publicity campaign called on the British public to Be the Change and Choose Fairtrade to ensure millions of farmers and workers across 68 countries can secure fairer prices. Fairtrade supporters across the country organized 615 grassroots events, spreading Fairtrade’s message within their communities and urged MPs to take the Fairtrade Be the Change pledge. More than 100 MPs pledged to support Fairtrade. Meanwhile more than 30 business partners including major retailers such as Co-op, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose activated Fairtrade Fortnight online and instore, demonstrating the business case for getting behind Fairtrade, even when times are tough. According to Kantar Profiles 2024, 23% of people heard about Fairtrade Fortnight 2024 (up from 12% in 2023), and 97% of those who heard about the campaign were able to remember at least one of the campaign messages. The most highly recalled message was ‘a few small changes to the products you put in your basket can make a huge change to the lives of those who produce them’.
83% of those who heard of Fairtrade Fortnight said they went on to buy a Fairtrade product prompted by seeing the campaign (up from 74% in 2023). Michael Gidney, CEO of the Fairtrade Foundation said: “We are delighted to see sales of Fairtrade products outperforming the market this Fairtrade Fortnight. This shows the unstinting support for Fairtrade from the British public even when times are tough, and it also shows how stocking a range of Fairtrade products makes good business sense. More and more people are choosing Fairtrade when they shop, recognizing the importance of contributing to building better livelihoods for farmers and workers overseas who produce many of the goods on supermarket shelves.
“Our brilliant partners and supporters are at the heart of everything we do and when they join forces, as they did this Fairtrade Fortnight, they have a huge impact. I want to thank everyone who took part for all their hard work – it matters so much, as we work together to innovate and deliver for farming communities around the world in 2025.”
It is three decades this year since the UK’s first Fairtrade product, Green & Black’s Maya Gold chocolate, hit supermarket shelves. Now, as Fairtrade turns 30, it is working with grocery retailers on groundbreaking new sourcing approaches to further improve the green credentials of the Fairtrade products they place on shelves.
Fairtrade’s pioneering Shared Impact scheme, in which supermarkets collaborate to agree the terms on which they source cocoa, bananas and coffee from a pool of Fairtrade producers, will allow them to target salient risks in their supply chain, give Fairtrade farmers longer-term contractual stability in the face of increasing climate and economic volatility while providing more transparency and traceability for retailers.
Fairtrade Fortnight 2025 will run from Monday 22nd September until Sunday 5th October 2025.
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For more information, interviews and images, please contact Martine Parry on 07886 301486, martine.parry@fairtrade.org.uk
Notes to Editors
Kantar Profiles, Sample 1250 (GB16+, Fieldwork dates 24th – 26th September 2024.
Kantar Worldpanel 2024. Data tracked two weeks before (2 w/e 8th September 2024), the two weeks of Fairtrade Fortnight (9th – 22nd September 2024) itself and one week afterwards (1 w/e 29th September 2024).
All sales data referenced above is based on packs sold.
Kantar’s Worldpanel Take Home data continuously tracks the purchasing behaviour from a panel of 30,000 demographically representative GB households