Fairtrade sales in the UK outperformed the market during the 2024 incarnation of the annual campaign, according to the Fairtrade Foundation
The Fairtrade Foundation has reported a strong uplift in retail sales of Fairtrade products in the UK, 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 two weeks prior to the campaign (two weeks ended 8 September 2024).
The research showed that retail sales volumes of Fairtrade bananas increased by 2 per cent vs total bananas (down 1 per cent) through the fortnight.
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 could secure fairer prices.
Fairtrade supporters across the country organised 615 grassroots events, spreading Fairtrade’s message within their communities and urging MPs to take the Fairtrade Be the Change pledge.
More than 100 MPs pledged to support Fairtrade, the foundation said.
Meanwhile more than 30 business partners including retailers such as Co-op, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose highlighted Fairtrade Fortnight online and in-store.
According to Kantar Profiles 2024, 23 per cent of people heard about Fairtrade Fortnight 2024 (up from 12 per cent in 2023), and 97 per cent 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’.
Some 83 per cent of those who heard of Fairtrade Fortnight said they went on to buy a Fairtrade product prompted by seeing the campaign (up from 74 per cent in 2023).
“We are delighted to see sales of Fairtrade products outperforming the market this Fairtrade Fortnight,” said Michael Gidney, CEO of the Fairtrade Foundation.
”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, recognising the importance of contributing to building better livelihoods for farmers and workers overseas who produce many of the goods on supermarket shelves,” he continued.
“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,” Gidney added.
As Fairtrade turns 30, the foundation said it was working with grocery retailers on new sourcing approaches to further improve the green credentials of the Fairtrade products placed on shelves.
Fairtrade’s 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 22 September to 5 October 2025.
