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sustainabletimes 29 www.binfo.co.uk
Everyone’s cup of tea
No one who spends any time in
supermarkets can have failed to notice
the boom in ethically sourced coffees,
teas, sugars, bananas and chocolates
carrying Fairtrade and/or Rainforest
Alliance certifcation.
Last year, UK sales of Fairtrade
products rose by 40% to an estimated
retail value of £1.17bn compared
with £836m in 2009; and the number
of producer groups selling into the UK
Fairtrade market increased from 496
to 560.
In a GlobalScan survey for Fairtrade,
40% of UK consumers said they would
prefer to buy Fairtrade tea if a Fairtrade
option were available and 39% would
prefer to buy Fairtrade coffee.
The Rainforest Alliance also made
ground, with a 31% increase in sales of
Rainforest Alliance-certifed coffee; a 53%
increase in the production of Rainforest
Alliance tea; and a 319% increase in the
production of Rainforest Alliance cocoa.
Overall, 768 new companies
registered to buy and sell goods grown on
Rainforest Alliance-certifed farms, 24%
more than in 2009, bringing the total
number to 2,416.
A common goal
Fairtrade and the Rainforest Alliance
may have different priorities, but
they both aim to make the world’s
production systems and value chains
more sustainable. Both are members of
the ISEAL Alliance, the global association
for social and environmental standards,
that also numbers the Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC) and the Marine
Stewardship Council among its members.
Fairtrade’s main aim is to tackle
poverty and empower growers in the
world’s poorest countries by stipulating
a minimum price that must be paid
to producers plus an additional sum,
the Fairtrade Premium, to invest in
community projects. Separate Fairtrade
standards exist for smallholders working
together in democratic structures, such as
co-operatives, and for producers that use
hired labour who must meet minimum
Sales of ethical products continue to
rise despite the economic climate
standards of worker welfare.
The Rainforest Alliance, easily
recognised by its Green Frog logo, is
primarily a conservation organisation
committed to protecting tropical
forests from clearance for agriculture or
intensive forestry. It encourages farms
(large and small) and co-operatives
to manage their land in a sustainable
manner by addressing the three pillars of
sustainability – environmental protection,
social equity and economic viability.
In order to achieve Rainforest
Alliance certifcation, farms must
meet standards set by the Sustainable
Agriculture Network. So far, Rainforest
Alliance certifcation has been achieved
by 250,000 organisations and 25 types
of crop covering more than one million
hectares in 30 countries.
Multiple certifcations
Many producers have dual Fairtrade
and Rainforest Alliance certifcation –
some organic products, like Sodexo’s
Aspretto flter and espresso coffee and
Café Nueva’s Triplo instant coffee, are
accredited by the Soil Association, giving
them triple-certifed status.
Multi-certifed products are likely
to become more common as different
schemes work together to advance the
agenda of fairness in the tea, coffee
and cocoa industries. Earlier this year
Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance/Sustainable
Agriculture Network and another scheme
– UTZ Certifed – announced that they
were co-operating to reduce the level
of complexity and cost for farmers by
developing tools that would enable them
to adhere to multiple standards.
In addition, industry body the
Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP) has signed
agreements with the Rainforest Alliance
and Fairtrade Labelling Organisation
(FLO) to reduce duplication of
monitoring and auditing activities so that
it becomes easier for ETP members to
work towards both standards.
Ethical vending
Increased support for ethically produced
products extends to the vending industry,
where there is an ever wider choice of
sustainable drink options. Growth is
being driven throughout the supply
chain by both commercial and CSR
considerations. Indeed, the two have
Mars Drinks had a
stated aim to source
30% of its products
from sustainable
sources by 2010
PG Tips is fully
Rainforest
Alliance-
certifed
By 2016 all Tetley tea bags and loose leaf
tea products will use Rainforest Alliance-
certifed tea
become increasingly hard to separate as
sales of certifed products have grown.
Last year sales of Fairtrade coffee
increased 16% in volume to just over
14,000 tonnes; and sales of Fairtrade tea
grew 5% by volume.
A survey of 2,700 shoppers in
Britain, France, Germany and Spain by
international food and grocery analysts
IGD revealed that half of consumers
expect to buy more ethical food and
drink in the future, including food
produced locally, to high animal welfare
standards or according to Fairtrade
principles. Three out of 10 shoppers in the
UK (31%) said that they expect to buy
more Fairtrade products.
For business buyers, choosing certifed
products for the workplace cafeteria or
vending machine is a small price to pay
for the PR benefts that can come from
ethical consumption.
Four out of fve consumers questioned
by GlobeScan, as part of a survey for
Fairtrade International, said that they
expect companies they deal with to help
in reducing poverty through the way they
do business; and 80% had a desire for
companies to contribute to community
development programmes – up from
73% in 2010.
Offering Fairtrade and/or Rainforest
Alliance drinks is an easy and affordable
way to demonstrate your organisation’s
commitment to such aims.
Nestle Professional
is meeting rising
demand for Fairtrade
products with its
Nescafe Partners
Blend range