Sales of Fairtrade products reached almost £500m last year as the volume of ethically sourced goods sold in the UK more than doubled in just 12 months, according to figures released today.
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Sales of Fairtrade products reached almost £500m last year as the volume of ethically sourced goods sold in the UK more than doubled in just 12 months, according to figures released today.
Bananas remain the most popular Fairtrade product with sales rising 130% year-on-year to £150m in 2007, according to the Fairtrade Foundation. Coffee sales rose by 24% to more than £117m while Fairtrade cotton soared by 660% to just less than £35m.
The total amount spent on Fairtrade products last year was £493m, a rise of 81% compared to the year before.
The Scottish Government is backing a drive to make Scotland one of the world's first Fairtrade nations. Linda Fabiani, the External Affairs Minister, said yesterday that the increased market for fairly traded products has already made an impact in the countries where they are produced.
She said: "The Fairtrade movement has already made a huge and positive difference to the lives of many thousands of producers in developing countries.
"By encouraging consumers to buy more Fairtrade products, we will be helping producers in developing countries to receive a fair price for their products and improve their working conditions."
Sales of Fairtrade tea rose by 24% to just in excess of £30m in 2007 while Fairtrade chocolate and other cocoa products rose 35% to just less than £24m.
The sales figures are all estimates calculated by the Fairtrade Foundation on the basis of reported wholesale values.
Harriet Lamb, executive director of the Fairtrade Foundation, said: "The fantastic increase in sales shows the UK public's huge and growing appetite for Fairtrade. After years of chipping away, Fairtrade is finally beginning to make some significant impression on the way we trade."
The figures were released to coincide with the Fairtrade Fortnight public awareness campaign.
Fairtrade labelling was created in the Netherlands in the late-1980s. To be Fairtrade accredited, producers must be paid a minimum price to cover the cost of sustainable production plus an extra premium to be invested in community development projects.
The Fairtrade Foundation is the independent certification body that awards the Fairtrade mark to products which meet the international Fairtrade standards.
For Scotland to become a Fairtrade nation, all 32 councils need to have Fairtrade groups and 55% of local authority areas must have achieved Fairtrade status.
In addition, all Scotland's cities require to have this status, with at least 55% of towns working towards this.
It would also require annual 5% increases in the proportion of the population who know about Fairtrade issues, which currently stands at 45%.
The criteria also specifies that to become a Fairtrade nation at least 75% of people have to buy a Fairtrade product every year, with 40% buying such goods regularly.
Ffion Heledd, 31, has been buying Fairtrade products since they first became available. She said: "I try to buy as much as possible, which probably amounts to half of my shopping. I definitely buy more Fairtrade products than I used to simply because there is a much wider range of goods available today.
"I'm surprised sales have risen by as much as they have, but it's also very welcome and positive in my opinion. People think Fairtrade is all about bananas and coffee, but there are many other products you can buy such as wine and cereals. You can even buy Fairtrade clothes."
Ms Heledd, who lives in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, and works as a researcher for the Children's Commissioner, added: "Buying Fairtrade is something everyone can do to make a real difference to the lives of others, you just have to make that choice when you are shopping."
