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Our first event took place in Manchester on 18^th April, and we were pleased to welcome Emily Pearce, Senior Sustainable Sourcing & International Development Manager at Co-op UK as our guest speaker. Emily leads Co-op’s industry leading Fairtrade strategy, sustainable sourcing, international development, water security and food waste commitments.

Emily shared with us Co-ops journey. She began by saying: “There’s still a lot to do to overcome unfairness in the food chain, but together we can make a difference. It’s our goal to make it easier for you to support farmers, workers and their communities around the world who grow produce and ingredients for Co-op products, with every shop.”

Emily continued: “For more than 30 years we have championed the Fairtrade movement, driven by our passionate members, by supporting better prices, working conditions and terms of trade. Our ambition is to be the UK’s biggest supporter of Fairtrade by making it easier for our customers, members and colleagues to choose Fairtrade and support the movement.”

Co-op are the largest convenience retailer of Fairtrade certified products in the UK, and these sales support around a quarter of a million people every year.

Sharing a case from a recent visit to Ghana, Emily said: “We saw the impact of Fairtrade first-hand – how the guaranteed better prices have enabled producers to invest in their farms and their futures.

“Volta River Estates Ltd (VREL) – who supply our Fairtrade bananas, partnered with the Co-op to bring the first Fairtrade bananas to UK shelves in 2000.  We have sourced from them ever since and it is amazing to see the impact of 23 years of Fairtrade into these communities.

“At VREL we saw the impact of Fairtrade Premium in the community: school buildings where previously children had learnt under trees, we heard from women workers on the Fairtrade Gender Committee who have grasped the opportunity to challenge male tradition and take on more roles on the farm.  School buildings, scholarships, medicine, healthcare access and screening, worker buses, vocational training, worker rights, gender empowerment, books, enhanced IT literacy, have all been funded by the projects.

“In ABOCFA (the Fairtrade organic cocoa co-operative) we were shown the smallholders’ dynamic agro-forestry training plot, where they are developing climate resistant strains, with exciting results.  They showed us the great work they are doing in income diversification, women’s empowerment, investment in schools, education, health and water.

“We met an inspiring young cocoa farmer who shared that due to Fairtrade he was excited and hopeful for his future and that of his daughter. His ambition is to become the best cocoa farmer in Ghana.

“Sales of Co-op own label water are generating donations for The One Foundation that fund life changing programmes – we saw this in VREL with Safe Water Network putting in clean water stations reaching 55,000 people in 10 cocoa communities.

“We saw new sanitation and water facilities at a school of more than 650 children. We also travelled to meet chiefs of the community who produce Fairtrade cocoa where clean water and sanitation services are being provided.  The community were ecstatic about this and gave us such a warm welcome with traditional music and dancing.”

Emily reflected that 2024 is the 30^th anniversary of the Fairtrade mark and that it remains as relevant as ever and the pressing need to do more. Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing farmers and workers in global supply chains and has the potential of deepening the vulnerability and poverty context of thousands of farmers and workers in sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, 4-5 billion people experience water scarcity for at least one month in the year (UN Water) and 703 million people globally still lack access to safe, clean drinking water. By 2030 – If nothing changes - global freshwater demand is expected to outstrip supply by 40%. By 2050, 52% of the world’s population will live in water-stressed regions.

Emily spoke to the Climate Justice campaigning that Co-op are doing and also the importance of Co-op’s commitments in Fairtrade, Water Security & Responsible Sourcing to long-term resilience of these communities. Investment in climate adaptation and mitigation at farm level is key to building resilience. Fairtrade is a mechanism for trade justice – investing in the long-term security of these vital supply chains and the communities who rely on global trade.

She called to action the need for the Fairtrade movement to continue to remind customers of the impact they make when they choose Fairtrade and for businesses to continue to act responsibly for people and planet. Find out more about Co-op’s work here: