Fair Trade exceeded €2 billion sales in France in 2021
Sales of fair trade products increased by 11% in 2020 and sales of fair trade dairy products jumped 44% in 2021 compared to 2020. The fair-trade model is proving to be of particular importance in a time of war and health and climate crises as consumers confirm their attachment to the values of fair wages for producers.
The Fair Trade Observatory published the figures on Thursday 5 May 2022 at a press conference in Paris. Fair Trade sales grew by 11% to 2.04 billion euros last year, of which 35% was for French products (+9%) against +12% for products from international channels. The latter were mainly sold in supermarkets (54%) against 30% for products from French origin channels. Fair trade dairy products, whose sales have jumped by 44% since 2020, show the greatest increase, ahead of chocolate products (+28%). There is also a convergence between fair trade and organic products, since 88% of fair trade products are labelled organic. “The quality of the products is one of the factors in the development of fair trade, which is progressing despite the difficulties,” emphasised Jean-Pierre Blanc, the managing director of Malongo coffees, 66% of whose business is fair trade.
In the food sector more than 500 brands are involved in fair trade relationships with agricultural producers and offer more than 10,200 labelled products to consumers, a number which has increased by 36% by 2021. This trend shows a growing commitment by companies to improve their relationships with their producer-suppliers and to promote their fair trade practices to consumers.
A resilient model
This trend is taking place in a context marked by rising prices for agricultural products since the start of the war in Ukraine and problems of inflation. “Our [fair trade] model has proven itself,” said Julie Stoll, General Delegate of Fair Trade France. Fair Trade avoids the speculative effects of unregulated markets. The fair price paid to the producer allows him to pay the production costs and to invest in agroecology. Our food represents ¼ of greenhouse gas emissions so decarbonising our food and transforming our agriculture is a major challenge”.