Fairtrade Foundation asks workplaces to switch to Fairtrade products

New research released today by the Fairtrade Foundation reveals that, despite growing support for Fairtrade in the UK, only 17% of UK workers say their companies are currently serving Fairtrade products at work. Almost two out of five workers (38%) say they think their company SHOULD make products carrying the FAIRTRADE Mark available to staff at work.

The YouGov survey was commissioned by the Fairtrade Foundation to coincide with todayís launch of the organisationís major new Fairtrade at Work campaign calling on workplaces to switch to offering Fairtrade products such as tea, coffee, fruit juice, sugar and biscuits to employees in the staff canteen, in meetings or through corporate catering. The campaign has been welcomed by pioneers of Fairtrade like Co-operative Financial Services (CFS) ñ the parent of the Co-operative Bank and Co-operative Insurance ñ which, since they inaugurated the office switch to Fairtrade products in 1997, have been challenging other top companies to follow their example.

ìCo-operative Financial Services is proud to be the UKís largest workplace consumer of Fairtrade products and encourages all other organisations to support Fairtrade; there really canít be a more meaningful but simple demonstration of how business can be a force for good through its everyday purchasing,î says Barry Clavin, Ethical Policies Manager at CFS.

The Fairtrade at Work campaign kickstarts today as BT announces a switch to Fairtrade coffee at BT Centre and several of their key sites across the country with employees sampling Fairtrade coffee. The rest of BT sites will follow on a roll out schedule which will mean 3.5 million cups of Fairtrade coffee being drunk annually on their premises. This move follows a growing number of companies and organisations ñ from Edinburgh Zoo to the Department for International Development ñ which have previously made the switch.

Fairtrade started out with individuals choosing Fairtrade in their shopping for home consumption, but people are increasingly wanting Fairtrade throughout the day ñ at home, socially and in the workplace.

The Fairtrade at Work campaign is building on the example of some central government departments, local councils, voluntary organisations and companies which have lead the way in using Fairtrade products. CFS pioneered the use of Fairtrade products and, with 10,000 employees and huge numbers of customers visiting its offices and bank branches, more that 4 million cups of Fairtrade beverages are now consumed on CFS premises annually. Since they first switched their vending machines to stocking Fairtrade coffee and tea, they have gradually changed over all their procurement so that now only Fairtrade tea, coffee and hot chocolate are available to CFS employees and customers, through staff restaurants and vending machines.

Barry Clavin believes the YouGov results show what the Co-op already knows ñ that Fairtrade creates a feel-good factor among the staff and improves staff morale. ìBy demonstrating that we care about farmers in developing countries we reinforce the message that we care about our employees as well,î he says.

The YouGov survey asked respondents to put in order of importance a range of 10 initiatives that companies could do to improve their ethical and environmental sourcing and procurement habits. Whilst 45% put reducing carbon emissions at the top of their list, 38% made Fairtrade put Fairtrade closely behind, while among other results, 32% said their company should recycle or use recycled goods, and 19% said their employer should donate a percentage of company profits to charity.

Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation, said: ìThis campaign aims to see the availability of Fairtrade products in the workplace match that in the shops. Today over a third of our food and drink is consumed away from home and there is still enormous potential for more Fairtrade sales in that sector so more and more producers can benefit from Fairtrade. Any good company will want to respond to the mood of their employees and some top companies have set a model for many more to emulate. Switching to products carrying the FAIRTRADE Mark ñ everywhere from canteen or vending machine to the flowers at reception ñ is a meaningful way to make a real difference to the lives of farmers and workers in developing countries.î

The YouGov poll shows:
Women are more likely than men to say they would like their company to choose Fairtrade at work
Workers aged between 30 and 50 were most eager to support Fairtrade

People in Scotland are the most keen (66%) to say their company offers Fairtrade or should offer Fairtrade
82% of workplaces which offer Fairtrade provide Fairtrade coffee and 63% Fairtrade tea, whereas other products were used less often.

The Fairtrade Foundation has built a dedicated microsite www.fairtradeatwork.org.uk aimed at helping workplaces through the process of switching to Fairtrade. A cheeky viral video clip which plays on office humour has been created for viewers to pass onto their friends and colleagues. The Fairtrade message has traditionally been passed on by word of mouth and the viral video takes the traditional idea into a modern context. A fun coffee time Soduku game available from the site with Fairtrade product information will encourage staff to think while they drink their morning coffee. A leaflet targeted at companies called Make it your business to buy Fairtrade is also available to order from the microsite.

To mark the start of the campaign, high profile ëswitchersí such as BT and financial services consultant KPMG will be holding events at their offices this week. BT will communicate its switch to Fairtrade coffee to 2,000 staff today at BT Centre in London and will roll out the programme to all of its offices during the week. KPMG will hold a wine tasting for staff to raise awareness of its ongoing support for Fairtrade and its commitment to the Fairtrade London Campaign. Brentford Football Club plan to hold a match using Fairtrade footballs over the coming weeks. Meanwhile, catering supplier Breaks is launching own brand Fairtrade instant coffee granules in packs of 750g to coincide with the launch of the campaign.

Fairtrade coffee farmer Gerardo Arias Camacho from Costa Rica will be touring the UK for the first week of the Fairtrade at Work campaign when he will give motivational presentations to employees at companies about how the Fairtrade system has made a difference to his fellow coffee farmers in the Llano Bonito Co-operative.

ìThe Fairtrade price allows us to survive as coffee farmers. It covers our costs of production, letís us send our kids to school, buy clothes and keep a roof over our headsî, Gerardo Arias Camacho will say.

Currently 301 producer groups from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia are now benefiting from selling to the UK Fairtrade market. This is a 50% increase from 197 groups last year and is due to increased public demand for Fairtrade.