Has Fairtrade gone bust?

Traidcraft was a UK-based Fairtrade organisation, established in 1979. Its trading arm, Traidcraft plc, which sold fairly traded products, went into administration in January 2023.

Does fair trade still exist?

There are over 6,000 Fairtrade products including flowers and gold, chocolate and tea, cotton and beauty. Buying Fairtrade is easy. When you shop, just look for the FAIRTRADE Mark.

What's the problem with fair trade?

Critics of the Fairtrade brand have argued that the system diverts profits from the poorest farmers, that the profit is received by corporate firms, and that this causes "death and destitution". Evidence suggests that little of the extra money paid by consumers actually reaches the farmers.

Why has Traidcraft gone into administration?

Gateshead-based Traidcraft, which was owned by around 5,000 small shareholders, entered administration in February this year after struggling through Covid-19 and supply chain challenges for the past three years.

Who owns Fairtrade?

Fairtrade producers own 50% of the system

The Fairtrade global system is now 50% owned by producers representing farmer and worker organisations. With an equal voice, producers have a say in decision-making within our General Assembly and on Fairtrade International's Board of Directors.

Fairtrade is not fair

Who is the CEO of Fairtrade?

Sandra Uwera, Fairtrade Global CEO

Her experience includes sustainable solutions for small and medium enterprises, advocacy, technical capacity-building, industry competitiveness and market access, digital financial inclusion, and programs focused on women and youth empowerment.

Does Tesco use Fairtrade?

We sell a wide range of Fairtrade certified products, including tea and coffee, sugar, nuts, baked beans, chocolate, hot chocolate, wine, cereal bars, biscuits, ice cream, vanilla pods, oranges, beans and organic bananas. We are always looking at opportunities to try and bring new Fairtrade products to our customers.

Is Traidcraft closing down?

Official Statement: Traidcraft plc going into administration

Sadly, despite the heroic efforts of our team at Gateshead, low consumer confidence during the critical autumn trading period led to a sales result significantly short of what was required to sustain the operation.

Who funds Fairtrade?

The Fairtrade Foundation receives a licence fee, paid by companies using the FAIRTRADE Mark on their products, which constitutes over 85% of the Fairtrade Foundation's income. The licence fee covers the cost of monitoring and certification which underpins the independent guarantee offered by the FAIRTRADE Mark.

How many people buy Fairtrade UK?

Consumer choices

Fairtrade's latest research (Kantar 2022) reveals that 77% of UK consumers have chosen Fairtrade products over an alternative. At the same time, Fairtrade Premium generated by retail sales of bananas, coffee, flowers and tea grew steadily in 2022.

Why don't people buy Fairtrade products?

Trust, too, is a recurring problem with fair trade certificates. Greenwashing, lack of transparency about the fair trade claims, the vast amount of fair trade claims that exist, and limited regulation lead to confusion, doubt, and, in the worst case, distrust in consumers.

Why does Fairtrade get criticised?

Critics of Fair Trade usually argue that as producers will naturally sell the best quality products to open markets, they will dump poor quality goods on Fair Trade cooperatives which are assumed to have no quality controls (Henderson 2008, p. 63; Sidwell 2008, p.

Which chocolate is Fairtrade?

Divine. The only chocolate company in the world that is Fairtrade and farmer-owned.

Are Kit Kats Fairtrade?

As the new cocoa harvest season kicked off in Côte d'Ivoire earlier this month, it also marked the sad moment when KitKats are no longer Fairtrade, a few months after Nestlé announced that KitKats would no longer contain Fairtrade cocoa and sugar.

Does Cadbury use Fairtrade chocolate?

No. Cadbury chocolate isn't Fairtrade, even though used to be. Cadbury had been part of the Fairtrade programme from 2009 up until 2016, when Cadbury left the programme and started using its own, in house equivalent (big red flag) - Cocoa Life. Cocoa Life sounds excellent if you read about it on Cadbury's website.

Is Maltesers Fairtrade?

Maltesers have some Fairtrade products and their manufacturer Mars has some of its other products listed on the 'buying Fairtrade chocolate' page on the Fairtrade Foundation website. Another area which Maltesers receives a top score for is its Environmental Report.

Do farmers have to pay for Fairtrade?

To become Fairtrade certified, farmers must join together with other farmers to form a co-operative. The Fairtrade Premium is paid at the co-operative level so that the farmers' democratically elected representatives can decide how the money is spent. It's another way that Fairtrade is unique.

Where does Fairtrade money go?

Social benefits

Fairtrade can provide producer support and expertise in deepening gender equality. For workers employed on Fairtrade certified plantations, investment of the Fairtrade Premium into education, better housing, better schools and medical facilities is highly valued.

How much does a Fairtrade farmer get paid?

When selling on Fairtrade terms, farmers will receive the market price and Premium of $200 a tonne on top, increasing to $240 a tonne from October 2019 due to the Fairtrade Price review.

What is the new name for Traidcraft?

Traidcraft Exchange has changed its name to Transform Trade. Charlotte Timson, CEO, reflects on what this really means and shares how we got to this point.

How many Fairtrade products are currently available in the UK?

10. There are over 6,000 Fairtrade products available to buy in UK shops. There are more than 30,000 products with a FAIRTRADE Mark worldwide. Buying Fairtrade is easy in the UK as there are an enormous variety of products from bananas, coffee and tea to spices, beauty products, gold, cotton and flowers.

How many UK companies support Fairtrade businesses?

We work with over 400 businesses, from retailers and global brands to small businesses.

Is M&S Fairtrade?

We've been supporting Fairtrade now since 2006 when we were the first retailer to convert all of our tea and coffee to Fairtrade. We also sell a range of chocolate, bananas, wines and flowers.

Are Tesco bananas Fairtrade?

At Tesco, all our conventional bananas sold in UK and Ireland are from Rainforest Alliance certified farms and all our organic bananas are from Fairtrade certified farms. Certification ensures that farms meet comprehensive ethical and environment requirements including: Biodiversity conservation.

Does Amazon sell Fairtrade products?

Fairtrade and Amazon

Amazon has announced their new Climate Pledge Friendly filter, allowing shoppers to see at a glance if a product meets Amazon's new sustainability criteria. Fairtrade International is the only fair trade certification selected because of our rigorous economic, social and environmental standards.