According to research conducted by Lightspeed and published in Marketing Week, the market for fair trade products has grown from £493m in 2007 to £712.6m in 2008, but it remains true that products such as bananas, coffee, tea and chocolate are by far the most recognisable fair trade items. Only 6% of respondents to the survey were aware of the existence of fair trade flowers, for example, despite them now being commonplace in mainstream supermarkets.
This research is encouraging on the one hand. It shows that people are willing to make ethical choices where these are available. The motives of ethical shoppers are positive too – 55% of fair trade shoppers buy because “the people that make or grow products get a better price for their goods”. This shows that the message behind ethical shopping is getting through. People know that their choices in the shops make a real difference to people’s lives.
However, there is clearly work to be done on spreading the word about fair trade. It is important that people are given choices across the board to buy ethically. While the Fair Trade Foundation mark is rightly a difficult accreditation to achieve, there are many small companies working with community producers abroad using fair trade principles. There are organisations like Ethical Junction, Ethical Products Organisation and BAFTS which are providing credibility to small ethical producers and suppliers.
The mission for retailers like This Fair Earth is to demonstrate that fair trade and ethically-produced products are superior in quality, individuality and style to mainstream alternatives. If people feel that items are desirable, and can offer a better deal for the artisans who make them, then everybody wins and fair trade will really break out of the realm of supermarket staples and become a choice in everything we buy.
This Fair Earth – Beautiful, Handmade, Ethical Jewellery and Homeware.
Producers from Cape Originals in South Africa