According to Victoria Morton, head of non-food business development at Fairtrade: “Since the recession hit, retailers and consumers in the UK have bought less and obviously this has a big impact on farmers, who were given the impression that there was a huge appetite for Fairtrade cotton in the UK and got themselves certified. Those farmers may now have to go back to selling cotton for whatever price they can get, which has an impact on families getting into debt and many repercussions on health, education, food and water.”The ethical, fashion-conscious consumer may have been the intended ally of the world’s poorest cotton farmers, but the credit crunch and the recession put paid to that — so Fairtrade is turning its attention to the business world. Fluffy towels and pristine sheets, hotels and hospitals are being targeted under plans to increase sales of Fairtrade cotton.

While demand for other Fairtrade products, such as coffee and chocolate, has continued to grow despite the recession, sales of cotton were hit this year as fashion stores and shoppers focused on low-price clothing rather than ethical concerns. Fairtrade cotton sales fell by more than 25 per cent as a result — after double-digit sales surges for Fairtrade cotton in 2007 and 2008, as shoppers sought to help farmers in developing countries and retailers competed on which could be most fashionably green.

Two years ago, for example, Marks & Spencer said that it would use a third of the world’s Fairtrade cotton, Tesco aimed to sell up to 20 million garments using the fibre and J Sainsbury three million. Farmers expanded as British retailers promised big orders for the cotton. Now, while Debenhams and some small brands, such as Gossypium and Pants to Poverty, have continued to report growth, sales at others, including M&S and Tesco, No 1 and No 2, respectively, in the list of Fairtrade cotton purchasers, have stalled.

According to Victoria Morton, head of non-food business development at Fairtrade: “Since the recession hit, retailers and consumers in the UK have bought less and obviously this has a big impact on farmers, who were given the impression that there was a huge appetite for Fairtrade cotton in the UK and got themselves certified. Those farmers may now have to go back to selling cotton for whatever price they can get, which has an impact on families getting into debt and many repercussions on health, education, food and water.”

The ethical, fashion-conscious consumer may have been the intended ally of the world’s poorest cotton farmers, but the credit crunch and the recession put paid to that — so Fairtrade is turning its attention to the business world. Fluffy towels and pristine sheets, hotels and hospitals are being targeted under plans to increase sales of Fairtrade cotton.

While demand for other Fairtrade products, such as coffee and chocolate, has continued to grow despite the recession, sales of cotton were hit this year as fashion stores and shoppers focused on low-price clothing rather than ethical concerns. Fairtrade cotton sales fell by more than 25 per cent as a result — after double-digit sales surges for Fairtrade cotton in 2007 and 2008, as shoppers sought to help farmers in developing countries and retailers competed on which could be most fashionably green.

Two years ago, for example, Marks & Spencer said that it would use a third of the world’s Fairtrade cotton, Tesco aimed to sell up to 20 million garments using the fibre and J Sainsbury three million. Farmers expanded as British retailers promised big orders for the cotton. Now, while Debenhams and some small brands, such as Gossypium and Pants to Poverty, have continued to report growth, sales at others, including M&S and Tesco, No 1 and No 2, respectively, in the list of Fairtrade cotton purchasers, have stalled.

According to Victoria Morton, head of non-food business development at Fairtrade: “Since the recession hit, retailers and consumers in the UK have bought less and obviously this has a big impact on farmers, who were given the impression that there was a huge appetite for Fairtrade cotton in the UK and got themselves certified. Those farmers may now have to go back to selling cotton for whatever price they can get, which has an impact on families getting into debt and many repercussions on health, education, food and water.”
POST: 2024-05-02