Ecuador bananas

Co-op have pledged to source all its own brand banana products from Fairtrade sources as Fairtrade Fortnight begins.

The British retailer said it was also extending full Fairtrade status to its tea brands, describing the move as a 'retailer first”.

Last year the company was the first retailer to commit to all of its own cocoa products coming from Fairtrade certified sources. Their own consumer survey said 72 per cent of shoppers now understand what Fairtrade label means.

They say the expansion of their ethical produce has boosted growth, citing their 14 per cent year-on-year sales increase as a result of their commitment to sourcing Fairtrade.

Brad Hill, Fairtrade strategy manager at Co-op said: “Co-op has championed Fairtrade since its inception and we continue to outperform competitors. Last year our sales grew by almost 14 per cent, more than double that of the market and we believe this is as a result of both our commitment and the way in which we tell the stories of the people behind the Fairtrade Mark. This in itself inspires purchase.

“This year we are focusing on increasing our sourcing of core Fairtrade commodities to drive further Fairtrade Premium to producer communities and building further our customer relationships with them, through further investments of our own.”

The Co-op also launched its own “beyond Fairtrade” programme, which provides additional support to farmers and producer associations across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, giving workers access to fair pay, helping build classrooms, medical facilities and water facilities.