The Fairtrade Foundation has been handed the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Sustainable Development category.
The award was presented as a tribute to the hard work and entrepreneurship of producers in developing countries and the UK public as well as companies and retailers who have supported the movement.
The Fairtrade Foundation was cited in the Queen’s Award notification as “making a tangible difference to the livelihood and quality of life of local communities within some of the world’s poorest regions and is an outstanding demonstration of the benefit which sustainable consumerism has on communities across the globe”.
Harriet Lamb, executive director of the Fairtrade Foundation, said: “The Fairtrade movement has at its heart, a determination to tackle the unjust trade rules and powerful commodity markets that have helped plunge billions of small scale farmers, workers and their communities into poverty.
“This award is recognition from the very top that there is a fairer way of doing business. Winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise will spur us on to take sales to an even greater level opening further opportunities for producer organisations to build a better future.”
Fairtrade has grown into a powerful consumer force. Estimated sales in 1998 were just £16 million and now stand at £800m. There are over 470 Fairtrade towns in the UK and Garstang, the town in Lancashire that kickstarted the movement, celebrates its 10th anniversary this weekend.
Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King said: “Very few organisations can claim to have made as big a difference to some of the world’s poorest communities, as the Fairtrade Foundation. We are the world’s largest Fairtrade retailer and a supporter of the brand since it was launched 15 years ago. We would like to congratulate the Fairtrade Foundation for achieving this richly deserved and prestigious award and look forward to working even more closely with them in the future.”
Peter Marks, chief executive of The Co-operative Group, said: “We'd like to offer our congratulations to the Fairtrade Foundation on receiving this prestigious award, which is truly well deserved, and we hope that this will help build further public awareness of Fairtrade and the many benefits it brings to growers in developing countries."
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