En stor britisk butikskæde vil nu kun føre kaffe og te, som er Fairtrade-mærket, skriver Max Havelaar Danmark i sit seneste elektroniske nyhedsbrev, der kom ud fredag.
Som den første store butikskæde har britiske Marks & Spencer annonceret den 6. marts, at al deres kaffe er Fairtrade-mærket og at deres te vil være det fra april.
De 38 typer kaffe og te vil nu bære Fairtrade-mærket. Det vurderes at det i Storbritannien vil forøge salget af Fairtrade-kaffe med 18 procent og Fairtrade-te med hele 30 pct.
Marks & Spencer har omkring 300 butikker og er kendt for at sælge højkvalitetsprodukter inden for tøj og fødevarer. Alle produkter sælges som “private label”, altså kædens egne produkter.
Marks & Spencer er kendt for sit store engagement i et nyt produkt inden for fair handel: bomuld. Fra 6. marts er det muligt at købe t-shirts og sokker med Fairtrade-mærket.
Marks & Spencer vil tillige købe 7 gange så meget Fairtrade-bomuld som før, så man kan udvide sortimentet til efteråret.
Annonceringen fra Marks & Spencer skød de store britiske Fairtrade-uger i gang. Målet med ugerne er at få briterne til at gøre købet af Fairtrade-produkter til en vane. Med over 1.300 Fairtrade produkter er der noget at vælge imellem, hedder det.
Her pressemeddelelsen fra kæden i den engelske originaltekst:
Marks & Spencer announces new Fairtrade commitment
Marks & Spencer today marked the first day of Fairtrade Fortnight by announcing it is converting all its coffee and tea to Fairtrade, making it the only major retailer to do so, and extending its commitment on Fairtrade certified cotton.
Its entire range of coffee and tea, totalling 38 lines, is switching to Fairtrade in a move estimated to increase the value of all Fairtrade instant and ground coffee sold in UK supermarkets by 18 per cent, and increase the value of Fairtrade tea by approximately 30 per cent. Fairtrade coffee will be sold in M&S stores from 6 March, with Fairtrade tea following from April.
Marks & Spencer already sells Fairtrade-only tea and coffee in its 200 Café Revive coffee shops, one of the largest chains in the UK, resulting in 35 million cups of Fairtrade coffee being sold since September 2004.
From today t-shirts and socks made from Fairtrade certified cotton and carrying the FAIRTRADE Mark, go on sale in 36 Marks & Spencer stores nationwide and on www.marksandspencer.com
Marks & Spencer is also announcing today that it will increase the amount of Fairtrade cotton it has bought by seven times so it can extend its range even further from the autumn. In addition to the existing Fairtrade cotton products, M&S plans to develop, among other product areas, mens Fairtrade cotton suit shirts and for the first time, a range of Fairtrade organic cotton clothing for newborn babies. This will potentially include sleepsuits and soft separates.
Stuart Rose, Chief Executive, Marks & Spencer, said:
– Our customers have told us they care about how our products are made and we want to help them make Fairtrade part of their retail habit. I am therefore delighted to announce we are extending our commitment to Fairtrade by moving our entire range of tea and coffee to Fairtrade, which as a 100 per cent own brand retailer we are in a unique position to do. Our conversion will significantly increase the value of Fairtrade coffee and tea in the UK.
Mr Rose continued:
– Although we will only start selling clothing made from Fairtrade certified cotton from today, we have already received such positive feedback from our customers that we will be extending the range further this autumn. We have only been able to make these major commitments because of the high ethical standards we have across our supply chain and close partnerships with our suppliers and the farmers they work with.
Harriet Lamb, Executive Director, Fairtrade Foundation said:
– With this groundbreaking switch to Fairtrade, Marks & Spencer has gone further on tea and coffee than any other retailer to date. It establishes Fairtrade firmly into its rightful place as part of normal, everyday life. On Fairtrade certified cotton, Marks & Spencer is also leading the way on the high street with its new range of products, already set to grow further. Now Marks & Spencers customers really can get the Fairtrade habit.
– Today Marks & Spencer has demonstrated the level of its commitment to Fairtrade and set a new pace which we hope other retailers will follow, by switching whole categories, by pioneering the development of new categories such as cotton, and by working closely with the producers that supply them. By buying products carrying the FAIRTRADE Mark, we can all play our part in enabling farmers and workers to make poverty history for themselves.
A recent YouGov survey (see below) commissioned by Marks & Spencer found that consumers are becoming more ethically minded with 78 per cent saying they would like to know more about the way goods are made including the conditions in the factories where they come from. 59 per cent said they already purchase Fairtrade products and 18 per cent said they would buy Fairtrade items if they were more widely available on the high street.
The Fairtrade coffee and tea sold in Marks & Spencers Café Revive shops has already helped coffee farmers to build new school facilities in countries such as Ethiopia and enabled thousands of farmers worldwide to invest in their communities. Marks & Spencers purchase of Fairtrade certified cotton is enabling farmers in India to invest in fresh drinking water for a local school, health insurance for the farmers and health education for children.
Todays announcement coincides with the second phase of Marks & Spencer’s ‘Look behind the label’ campaign to tell customers about the way its products are sourced and made.
Fairtrade coffee, tea and cotton imagery is available on www.mandslibrary.com
The Fairtrade Foundation certifies products with the FAIRTRADE Mark and promotes Fairtrade. Inspection and audit ensures the producers meet the Fairtrade standards of a democratic and participative structure where Fairtrade premiums are used to improve social conditions or the economic infrastructure.
Fairtrade Fortnight – runs from 6 – 19 March 2006. Fairtrade Fortnight is the annual event organised by the Fairtrade Foundation to promote awareness of Fairtrade.
Marks & Spencer’s Fairtrade coffee and tea range includes:
Ground coffee
Colombian Medium Roast – £2.69 (227g)
Kenyan Medium Roast – £2.69 (227g)
Instant coffee
Café Noir – £1.99 (100g)
Café Gold – £2.09 (100g)
Tea
Earl Grey Tea bags – £1.29
English Breakfast Tea – £1.29
Marks & Spencer sources coffee and tea from a number of Fairtrade co-operatives in countries including Ethiopia, Indonesia and Tanzania.
Marks & Spencer stocks a range of Fairtrade certified foods, including honey, chocolate, avocados, pineapples, mangos and bananas.
Marks & Spencer’s Fairtrade cotton range includes:
Menswear:
£8 round neck t-shirts in chocolate, black, indigo and royal blue
£5 pack of two pairs of socks in black and beige
Womenswear:
£7 cap sleeve t-shirt in light pink, light mole and navy
£4 pack of two pairs of socks black and white
Marks & Spencer insists on all its products being sourced and manufactured to its high quality and ethical standards. It is a member of the Ethical Trading Initiative and has developed its Global Sourcing Principles, which outline the Company’s standards for ethical sourcing. M&S asks that all its suppliers comply with their Principles and regularly audit their operations against them. Its achievements have been recognised by independent organisations such as the RSPCA, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace.
YouGov interviewed 2.300 people in the UK for Marks & Spencer in January 2006.
The “Look behind the label” campaign is running in over 420 Marks & Spencer stores, in the national press and on the side of Marks & Spencer lorries.
