Sales of Fairtrade certified products hit $7.7 billion worldwide in 2013, according to a Fairtrade International report.
The trend was mirrored locally, in Australia and New Zealand, where retail sales of Fairtrade Certified products such as coffee, tea and chocolate grew by 11% totalling over $259.3 million.
Molly Harriss Olson, CEO of Fairtrade Australia & New Zealand said, “After five years of intense focus on Africa, Fairtrade is now turning its attention to expanding in the Asian region. Australia has a vitally important role to play in scaling up the Fairtrade market in Asia Pacific, growing the number of producers and developing the supply chains for Fairtrade products.”
Australia recently received its first shipment of Fairtrade Certified cocoa from Papua New Guinea and there are commitments for 800 metric tonnes of cocoa in the pipeline via Fairtrade Sourcing Programs.
“Australians continue to increase their Fairtrade purchases, with 17% of Australians now purchasing Fairtrade Certified products at least once a month. A number of major retailers are looking to increase their Fairtrade commitments and National Australia Bank (NAB) is the largest accredited Fairtrade business in the world. So there is enormous potential here in Australia to transform the lives of some of the poorest people in our region,” Harriss Olson said.