Awareness of The FAIRTRADE Mark Rockets To 50%

One in every two adults in the UK now recognises the FAIRTRADE Mark according to new figures from MORI (Market and Opinion Research International). The survey shows that 50% of the adult population can now identify the certification mark, up from 25% in 2003 and 39% last year.

The Fairtrade Foundation is particularly pleased that the FAIRTRADE Mark is now reaching younger and more diverse audiences. The highest recognition of the FAIRTRADE Mark is now among the 25-34 age group (a 19 point increase to 55%). People in this group are now just as likely as older age groups to buy Fairtrade products regularly.
The poll also shows that the majority of those buying Fairtrade are recent converts – an indication of future promise for Fairtrade sales. More than half of Fairtrade buyers (53%) first bought a Fairtrade product in the past year, including 7% who first bought Fairtrade in the past three months. MORI says this figure equates to 3% of all adults in the UK buying Fairtrade over the past three months.

“These figures hold great promise for the future of Fairtrade,” says Harriet Lamb, Director of the Fairtrade Foundation. “These results show we are widening the appeal of Fairtrade and enabling more and more new consumers to join this growing trend.
“Reaching 50% of the population is a hugely significant marker for us. Companies should take note that the public are more canny and caring than they are often given credit for. Price is emphatically not their only concern when they go shopping - they do want the reassurance that farmers in developing countries receive a better deal.”

Substantial increases in awareness of the FAIRTRADE Mark are shown across all social groups. C1s are the fastest growing social group when it comes to recognising the Mark, with a 17 point increase to 57% - closing the gap with ABs (64% recognition).
People in the C1 group are clearly increasingly aware of, and buying into, Fairtrade. “This poll explodes the myth of Fairtrade being a niche market for the affluent,” says Harriet Lamb.

An increasing number of people who recognise the FAIRTRADE Mark say they became aware of it through word of mouth – up from 16% in 2004 to 23% this year. This is testament to the tireless work of tens of thousands of campaigners for Fairtrade who spread the word in workplaces, schools, universities, churches, trade unions and community organisations. There are now over 100 Fairtrade Towns all over the country – communities which have made a substantial commitment to the promotion and uptake of Fairtrade goods, both at local authority level and in local shops and businesses.

The area with the highest awareness of the FAIRTRADE Mark is the south west where around seven out of ten (69%) recognise the logo.
Other figures from MORI also spell good news for Fairtrade. The number correctly associating the green, black and blue Fairtrade symbol with its accompanying text ‘Guarantees a better deal for third world producers’ has risen signficantly - to 51%, up from 42% in 2004.

Four out of five people who recognise the Mark say its independent guarantee of a fair deal for growers in developing countries is ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ important. The strongest feelings about the independent guarantee exist among 25-34 year olds and those who regularly purchase Fairtrade products. Over half of them (52%) feel it is ‘very’ important.

“The strength of consumer confidence in the FAIRTRADE Mark grows and grows. Consumers clearly place great value on the Mark’s independent guarantee that producers receive a better deal,” says Harriet Lamb. “Our Mark gives people the confidence to put these products in their shopping baskets knowing they are playing their part in creating a fairer world and helping to ‘Make Poverty History’.”

Of those aware of the FAIRTRADE Mark, over three quarters (78%) say they have bought a product carrying the Mark. This has risen substantially from the year before when a similar question showed 63% had done so. One third of those who recognise the Mark regularly buy one or more products at least once a month.

Estimated retail sales in the UK of products with the FAIRTRADE Mark for 2004 were worth more than £140m, 51% up on 2003 when the figure was £92m. In 1994, when the FAIRTRADE Mark was first placed on products in the UK, a total of £2.7m was spent throughout the year.
The greater range and availability of Fairtrade products has helped drive up sales as there are now more than 900 products available in the retail and catering sectors.

To use the Mark on a product, companies must:

• source from producer organisations that have been inspected and certified against international Fairtrade standards pay a price to producers that covers the costs of sustainable production and living
• pay a premium for producers to invest in business development, social or environmental projects.
• Companies meeting these standards can use the FAIRTRADE Mark on specific products in the UK by signing a licence agreement with the Fairtrade Foundation. The Foundation monitors the licensee companies to ensure that they observe these terms for any product labelled as Fairtrade.

Globally, Fairtrade is now benefiting nearly 5 million people - farmers, workers and their families – in 49 developing countries.

For further information please contact:
Eileen Maybin on 020 7440 7686, mobile 07770 957451 (eileen.maybin@fairtrade.org.uk ) or Margaret Rooke on 020 7440 7695 (media@fairtrade.org.uk ) or Paul Ilett at MORI on 020 7347 3000 (paul.ilett@mori.com )

Notes to Editors

• The MORI survey is an annual survey commissioned by the Fairtrade Foundation. The 2005 survey involved a nationally representative sample of 2,311 British adults (15+) interviewed face to face in their homes by MORI between April 21 and 25 2005.
• According to MORI, a rise of just 2% in comparable sample sizes (of around 2,000) is regarded as ‘statistically significant’ at a 95% confidence level.
• UK shoppers can now choose from more than 900 products from more than 150 companies, including coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, snacks and biscuits, sugar, honey, fruit juice and fresh fruit. This year’s annual campaign, Fairtrade Fortnight (March 1-13 2005), was bigger than ever with 7,500 events taking place around the UK.
• 18% of the UK roast & ground coffee market is now Fairtrade certified as is 3% of overall coffee sales.
• Fairtrade bananas now account for 5% of the total UK banana market.
• The Fairtrade Foundation is a member of the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY campaign which brings together a wide cross section of over 200 organisations - charities, campaigns, trade unions, faith groups and celebrities - set up to press the government for global change on trade, aid and debt. The members are united by a common belief that this year offers an unprecedented opportunity for the UK to press for that global change. In July, the UK will host the G8 summit of richest nations in Gleneagles, and from July to December will take over the revolving presidency of the EU.

The Fairtrade Foundation, Room 204, 16 Baldwin’s Gardens, London EC1N 7RJ.
Tel: 020 7405 5942 Fax: 020 7405 5943 Web: www.fairtrade.org.uk