6 March 2006 - Marks & Spencer today marked the first day of Fairtrade Fortnight by announcing it is converting all its coffee and tea to Fairtrade, making it the only major retailer to do so, and extending its commitment on Fairtrade certified cotton.
Its entire range of coffee and tea, totalling 38 lines, is switching to Fairtrade in a move estimated to increase the value of all Fairtrade instant and ground coffee sold in UK supermarkets by 18%, and increase the value of Fairtrade tea by approximately 30%. Fairtrade coffee will be sold in M&S stores from 6 March, with Fairtrade tea following from April.
Marks & Spencer already sells Fairtrade-only tea and coffee in its 200 Café Revive coffee shops, one of the largest chains in the UK, resulting in 35m cups of Fairtrade coffee being sold since September 2004.
From today t-shirts and socks made from Fairtrade certified cotton and carrying the FAIRTRADE Mark, go on sale in 36 Marks & Spencer stores nationwide and on www.marksandspencer.com. Marks & Spencer is also announcing today that it will increase the amount of Fairtrade cotton it has bought by seven times so it can extend its range even further from the autumn. In addition to the existing Fairtrade cotton products, M&S plans to develop, among other product areas, men's Fairtrade cotton suit shirts and for the first time, a range of Fairtrade organic cotton clothing for newborn babies. This will potentially include sleepsuits and soft separates.
Stuart Rose, Chief Executive, Marks & Spencer, said: "Our customers have told us they care about how our products are made and we want to help them make Fairtrade part of their retail habit. I'm therefore delighted to announce we are extending our commitment to Fairtrade by moving our entire range of tea and coffee to Fairtrade, which as a 100% own brand retailer we are in a unique position to do. Our conversion will significantly increase the value of Fairtrade coffee and tea in the UK.
Mr Rose continued:
"Although we will only start selling clothing made from Fairtrade certified cotton from today, we have already received such positive feedback from our customers that we will be extending the range further this autumn. We have only been able to make these major commitments because of the high ethical standards we have across our supply chain and close partnerships with our suppliers and the farmers they work with."
Harriet Lamb, Executive Director, Fairtrade Foundation said: "With this groundbreaking switch to Fairtrade, Marks & Spencer has gone further on tea and coffee than any other retailer to date. It establishes Fairtrade firmly into its rightful place as part of normal, everyday life. On Fairtrade certified cotton, Marks & Spencer is also leading the way on the high street with its new range of products, already set to grow further. Now Marks & Spencer's customers really can get the Fairtrade habit.
"Today Marks & Spencer has demonstrated the level of its commitment to Fairtrade and set a new pace which we hope other retailers will follow, by switching whole categories, by pioneering the development of new categories such as cotton, and by working closely with the producers that supply them. By buying products carrying the FAIRTRADE Mark, we can all play our part in enabling farmers and workers to make poverty history for themselves."
A recent YouGov* survey commissioned by Marks & Spencer found that consumers are becoming more ethically minded with 78% saying they would like to know more about the way goods are made including the conditions in the factories where they come from. 59% said they already purchase Fairtrade products and 18% said they would buy Fairtrade items if they were more widely available on the high street.
The Fairtrade coffee and tea sold in Marks & Spencer's Café Revive shops has already helped coffee farmers to build new school facilities in countries such as Ethiopia and enabled thousands of farmers worldwide to invest in their communities. Marks & Spencer's purchase of Fairtrade certified cotton is enabling farmers in India to invest in fresh drinking water for a local school, health insurance for the farmers and health education for children.
Today's announcement coincides with the second phase of Marks & Spencer's 'Look behind the label' campaign to tell customers about the way its products are sourced and made.