From peri-salted peanuts to toothpaste and ‘black soap’, a host of Fairtrade products beyond the usual suspects await. Plus, how to go further in supporting these communities
If you were asked to think of a Fairtrade product, chances are you’d picture a banana. Or possibly a bar of chocolate. Maybe a bag of coffee beans?
In many ways, it’s no surprise. A quarter of a century after Fairtrade-certified bananas first hit supermarket shelves, they now account for one in every three sold in the UK. Fairtrade tea, meanwhile, is a British mainstay: 60% of all Fairtrade tea sales occur in the UK.
But products that bear the Fairtrade mark, which indicates that rigorous environmental and labour standards are met, are no longer limited to simple breakfast staples.
For Kerrey Baker, managing director at ethical investment organisation Shared Interest, the widening portfolio has been driven by people who now expect ethics and sustainability as standard. “[People] want to know about the provenance of the products they’re buying,” she explains. “They want transparency and they want to know that there’s been some kind of equity in the supply chain. Fairtrade is a recognition that that is happening.”
Powered by investments from regular people, Shared Interest loans money to smallholders to allow them to invest and grow their business, as well as regulate and manage their cash flow. “We often say we’re the original crowdfunder,” she says, “because we set up in 1990, before the internet was even in place. We brought people together who wanted to do something positive; it’s a hand-up, not a hand-out.
Baker is keen to stress that shopping Fairtrade really does make a difference to communities on the ground. She emphasises that the Fairtrade premium, an extra sum paid to help improve producers’ quality of life, has allowed some co-operatives that Shared Interest has worked with to set up shops, mobile phone charging points, and medical centres.
So, if you’re looking to make change through the power of your purse, here are five lesser-known products to add to the basket.
Launched in 2007, Liberation Nuts packs a punch in more ways than one. As well as producing bold-flavoured snacks such as peri-peri peanuts and chilli and lime cashews, the social enterprise exports more than 400 tonnes of dried nuts, fruits, and sesame from smallholders located around the world.
Some 15% of this volume is brazil nuts from Bolivia, where Liberation Nuts, which receives support from Shared Interest, works with farmers to push back against so-called ‘slash and burn agriculture’. In this practice, forests are burned to make way for crops. Co-operative members are now responsible for protecting 100,000 hectares (247,105 acres) of the Amazon rainforest.
Find out more about Liberation Nuts here.
Image: Liberation Nuts
The shea tree offers up many uses: not only can its fruit be eaten, it can also help to waterproof homes, heal wounds, and soothe dry skin. Thriving in areas of dry savanna and native to Africa, researchers estimate that the tree has been used by local communities since AD100.
The all-female Akoma Co-operative, based in Ghana, is tapping into its many applications.
With a range of products available, from essential oils to whole foods, many of Akoma’s items are produced under fair trade principles, and those such as its black soap and raw shea butter are certified Fairtrade. Since the co-op was founded in 2006, it has given stable jobs to hundreds of previously unemployed women.
Find out more about Akoma here.
Image: luisapuccini
In 2005, Oxfam’s iconic Make Poverty History campaign quickly made ripples across the globe, securing billions of dollars in aid from world leaders including George Bush, Vladimir Putin, Silvio Berlusconi, and Tony Blair.
It was also the catalyst that launched Fair Squared, a cosmetics company that aims to reduce the imbalance in global trade.
From initial beginnings stocking condoms, hand creams and lip balms, the company has now grown to a range of more than 150 products, with ingredients such as olive oil from Palestine and Lebanon, almond oil from Pakistan, and rubber from India.
Current Fairtrade-certified offerings include apricot lip balm, toothpastes, and massage candles.
Find out more about Fair Squared here.
Image: Diana Polekhina
Crack open a crisp bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and there’s a high chance it hails from South Africa: the country is the world’s sixth largest wine exporter by volume. However, it’s a market that faces unique challenges.
The legacy of both colonialism and apartheid has left significant inequalities running through the country’s wine industry, which was built upon the systemic oppression and exploitation of people of colour.
The ethos of Bruce Jack is twofold: to “bring joy to life” and “to do the right thing”, which is why their sauvignon blanc is certified Fairtrade.
Find out more about Bruce Jack here.
Image: Bruce Jack
Born in Brixton, London, Little Green Radicals, another business that Shared Interest supports, prides itself on being one of the first UK companies to commit to using Fairtrade-certified cotton in its kids clothing. Its range spans dresses, dungarees and baby grows.
The team works with cotton growers such as Chetna Organics, which is based in Yavatmal, India. The collective is made up of nearly 36,000 cotton farmers.
“Above all else,” says Little Green Radicals founder Nick Pecorelli, “we are energised by a desire to improve what we make, the way we treat the people who make it and our impact on the environment.”
Find out more about Little Green Radicals here.
Image: Patty Brito
Main image: Adene Sanchez
