Next month will see the start of Fairtrade Fortnight and many UK suppliers will increase awareness of their certified products. For retailers, it’s a chance to do some great work in the community.
by Kevin Scott
The Fairtrade logo is one which is now so easily recognised by consumers that it has simply become part of the packaging of many items that are produced under conditions that make them Fairtrade. The campaign – or movement is perhaps a better word – has grown and reaches a peak each year with Fairtrade Fortnight, which this year takes place between 25th February and 10th March. This year it will call on the British public to ‘Go Further for Fairtrade’ in 2013 to look after the food we love and the people who grow it. Without our support now, farmers in developing countries face a difficult and uncertain future, the Fairtrade Foundation will warn.
This year thousands of people up and down the country will get creative with their Fairtrade campaigning to highlight the importance of small holder farmers in agriculture and their role in food security. Fabulous sculptures made from Fairtrade product packaging will form the centrepiece of this year’s campaign. Towns, villages, churches, colleges and schools across the nation will create installations, collages or other works of art as protest petitions to deliver to MPs and commercial organisations to ask for change.
This is clearly an area that local retailers can get involved with – and if you don’t think it’s worth the effort, you have to consider why so many major manufactures across multiple categories have taken the decision to go Fairtrade.
“We were delighted to have introduced Fairtrade Maltesers to the UK and Ireland, and we know that shoppers increasingly look out for certified products, especially from brands that they know and love,” says Bep Dhaliwal, Trade Communications Manager, Mars. “This partnership is the latest step in our cocoa sustainability commitment to source our entire supply of cocoa from sustainable sources by 2020.”
Mars is committed to sustainable sourcing and 2009 saw Mars become the first global chocolate company to commit to certifying its entire cocoa supply by 2020. Mars’ first major step towards achieving this goal was The Rainforest Alliance Certified Seal, which appeared on packs of the Galaxy Smooth Milk Bar.
Since February 2010, bars of Galaxy Smooth Milk across the UK and Ireland have carried The Rainforest Alliance Certified Seal. Mars is confident retailers will continue to stock up on this product, because they know their customers recognise the Rainforest Alliance as a mark of responsible sourcing.
Over at Mondelez International and Cadbury Dairy Milk (CDM) was the first major confectionery brand to achieve Fairtrade certification. Fairtrade CDM has been on shelf in the UK and Ireland since July 2009.
Susan Nash, Trade Communications Manager at Mondelez, says: “The primary reason for becoming Fairtrade certified was that, as a business, we felt it was the right thing to do and a great way of helping us achieve our sustainability ambitions. Our vision is to create a sustainable cocoa supply by supporting the establishment of thriving communities and this is a perfect match to the ambition of Fairtrade.”
Last month, Mondelez International unveiled “Cocoa Life” – its largest, most comprehensive cocoa sustainability effort to date. As UK’s biggest food and drink company, it will invest $400m over the next ten years to improve the livelihoods and living conditions of more than 200,000 cocoa farmers and about one million people in cocoa farming communities. Cocoa Life will bring a $100m new investment to Côte d’Ivoire, the world’s largest cocoa producing country, to help 75,000 farmers double their productivity.
CDM will be supporting Fairtrade Fortnight with through the line marketing via in-store activity, PR and digital engagement. While the 2012 campaign contained a simple message that consumers understood and acted upon, ‘Take a step for Fairtrade’, this year’s activity will echo this sentiment with the tagline ‘Go Further’.
Susan Nash adds: “Cadbury Dairy Milk is now an established Fairtrade brand and we’re thrilled to continue growing our Fairtrade portfolio, with this year’s addition of Cadbury Dairy Milk Bubbly milk and Bubbly Mini. The 2013 campaign is simple – it’s all about taste. By choosing the product they love with the added benefit that it is Fairtrade, consumers can make a real difference.”
