Sainsbury’s Returns to Fairtrade Tea, Boosting Ethical Production by 50%
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📰 The quick summary: Sainsbury’s has reversed course on its 2017 decision and is returning its entire own-brand tea range to Fairtrade certification, increasing the amount of Fairtrade tea sold in the UK by almost 50% and ensuring better wages and community support for tea producers.
📈 One key stat: The conversion of Sainsbury’s big supermarket brand will increase the amount of Fairtrade tea sold in the UK by almost 50%, boosting the percentage from 7% to a projected 10% by 2026.
💬 One key quote: “We’re seeing this as a real tipping point for Fairtrade tea, but … we really need other brands and retailers to be buying in the same way,” said Kerrina Thorogood, the foundation’s director of partnerships.
1️⃣ The big picture: Sainsbury’s has announced it will return all its own-brand tea products to Fairtrade certification, eight years after controversially dropping the ethical label. This significant reversal includes their historic Red Label tea, first launched in 1903, and will convert all classic teabags in the ‘by Sainsbury’s’ range to Fairtrade standards. The Fairtrade stamp guarantees producers receive a minimum price plus an additional premium that goes into a communal fund for workers and farmers. With Sainsbury’s selling more than 880 million teabags annually, this commitment marks what Fairtrade officials describe as a ‘tipping point’ for ethical tea production, especially valuable at a time when extreme weather is causing significant disruption to tea harvests worldwide.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: This decision creates immediate positive impact for tea producers who face numerous challenges including climate disruption, gender inequality, and wage issues in the industry. The move will generate approximately an additional £1 million in Fairtrade premiums, money that goes directly to community projects chosen by the workers and farmers themselves. Tea growers in Kenya and India, who have recently experienced significant harvest disruptions due to extreme weather, will particularly benefit from the guaranteed minimum pricing that Fairtrade offers. Already the UK’s largest generator of Fairtrade premiums at £6 million annually, Sainsbury’s decision strengthens the ethical certification model that many feared was ending when the retailer initially dropped the label in 2017.
3️⃣ What’s next: The Fairtrade Foundation hopes other brands and retailers will follow Sainsbury’s lead, noting that currently Fairtrade producers manage to sell only 4% of their produce on Fairtrade terms. Industry observers will watch how consumers respond to the return of the Fairtrade logo on Sainsbury’s tea. The company plans to apply the certification across a dozen new products including their historic Red Label tea.
Read the full story here: The Guardian – Sainsbury’s tea to return to Fairtrade label after dropping it in 2017
