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Fairtrade happy to forego its on pack logo

The Fairtrade Foundation is prepared to work with more businesses that don’t want to carry its well-recognised mark.

Speaking at a conference in London this month, Lord Mark Price, Fairtrade Foundation chair of trustees, said the organisation is open to working with businesses in new ways.

Responding to concerns that some companies are moving towards their own in-house schemes, Price said the role of Fairtrade “moves on. The role of Fairtrade is to help those organisations be the best they can be,” he added, according to a report by Reuters.

A press released issued by the foundation after the event noted: “… if a company decides they want Fairtrade’s support to put the fair treatment of farmers and producers at the core of their business, to make it business as usual, then Fairtrade would, through its range of business services, support that action – without the use of the mark.”

However, Price, former CEO of Waitrose, John Lewis and trade minister, maintained that certification would always remain at the heart of the organisation. Products carrying the Fairtrade mark will continue to enjoy a higher level of trust and recognition than any other ethical label, he said.

Retail sales of Fairtrade grew 7% in 2017, according to data compiled by Kantar Worldpanel. Awareness of the scheme is 93% among UK shoppers, with 83% trusting it, according to research by the foundation published in February.

Michael Fletcher, Co-op retail chief commercial officer appeared less sure of the proposed flexibility in Fairtrade partnerships. Indeed, Fletcher called for an end to the “proliferation of ethical labels”. And in what appeared to be a criticism of Sainsbury’s decision to launch its own “fairly traded” scheme, he said: “Fairtrade is the gold standard of ethical labels. Consumers tell us this, governing bodies tell us this and Fairtrade producers tell us this. Anything else frankly, falls short.”

Does the Fairtrade certification scheme work for large businesses? Read Footprint’s analysis here.