Here at New Consumer, we've found that there are some shoppers out there who still don't understand just how big a difference Fair Trade can make, or what the different marks and labels we now see on our food and clothing mean. So, following on from Safia Minney's discussion on how a more developed certification scheme for fashion could help make the whole chain of production fair, we spoke to Sophie Tranchell of landmark Fairtrade chocolate company Divine. Tranchell tells us how she sees consumer response to Fair Trade - and why the simplicity of the Mark is important.
New Consumer: How well do you feel the public now recognise the Fairtrade Mark?
Sophie Tranchell: The Fairtrade Foundation puts this figure at 57% - so over half of British consumers now recognise the mark.
NC: Do you think the number of different certifying bodies is confusing to consumers?
ST: If consumers care about producers in developing countries then the Fairtrade Mark is the only mark that guarantees a better deal for them. The awareness of the Mark is 57% and 90% have heard of Fairtrade, which is huge.
A certification mark you can trust is a good short cut for making choosing faster and simpler. There is room for a small number of certification marks (both literally on the small amount of packaging space available) and that consumers are prepared to take note of and look out for. But the key is that each one needs to be absolutely clear what they represent – eg Fairtrade is about trading fairly with producers in developing countries, Soil Association is about producing food without the use of inorganic chemicals, and so on.
Asked “What does the term ‘ethical food’ mean to you?”, most respondents said “Buying Fairtrade products” or “paying a fair price” (48%) (BMRB/Mintel March 2006)
NC: Could the certification be improved or simplified to increase consumer understanding?
ST: If you as a consumer care about producers in developing countries the Fairtrade Mark is the only one that delivers this. It is not surprising that it has been successful in offering its independent guarantee of a better deal for third world producers as it was set up by Oxfam, Christian Aid and Traidcraft to help alleviate poverty this way.
The recognition the Fairtrade Mark has can only improve as increasing numbers of products bear the mark and Fairtrade starts to make bigger impacts on global industries (eg cotton, coffee, cocoa etc)
NC: There have been suggestions that a star system or a gold star Fairtrade label should be introduced to indicate that ethical practises are being used at every stage of the business – do you think this is a good idea, or that it’d just make matters more confusing?
ST: It is best for a certification system to be clear and simple and independent. As a 100% Fairtrade company that is significantly owned by farmers we use the Divine brand to communicate the extra values. Brands have proved to be very effective at doing this.
NC: Do you think it’s confusing that coffee, cotton clothing and chocolate are all certified under the same Fairtrade label when their production processes are so different?
ST: Fairtrade starts with the producers of the raw ingredients so to that end the issues are actually rather similar. Producers of commodities are mainly in developing countries, they are dependent on cash from crops, changes in the market price and climate can wipe out their communities. We think that consumers understand that.
NC: How do you ensure ethical standards throughout the business/in the parts of the business that aren’t monitored by the Fairtrade Foundation?
ST: As well as Kuapa Kokoo and Divine Chocolate being audited by FLO [the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation], Divine is a mission driven company and everything we do is geared to fulfilling this mission (to improve the livelihoods of smallholder cocoa farmers in West Africa by establishing their own dynamic branded proposition in the UK chocolate market, thus putting them higher up the value chain). In terms of the way we run our office, we aim to be a responsible business in terms of recycling, using public transport, and conserving resources, as well as observing equal opportunities in our recruitment. We are also currently focused on making annual improvements to the recyclability of our packaging. As a responsible business it is really a process of continual improvement.
