A Fairtrade survey for World Fair Trade Day on May 8 has found that UK consumers punish socially irresponsible companies through their shopping habits.

The study was carried out among 1,500 consumers by GlobeScan and found that more than two-thirds of Fairtrade consumers say they will always or often punish companies for not being socially responsible, while nearly a third of mainstream consumers are likely to reward companies for being socially responsible.

Shoppers overwhelmingly expect fair pay and fair treatment for workers in developing countries and the vast majority - 86 per cent - feel a personal responsibility to ensure workers are fairly compensated.

The Fairtrade marque came top as the most trusted certification label and almost two-thirds of those questioned link Fairtrade to fair pay for producers and workers.

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