Waitrose launches unique Fairtrade partnership

The Fairtrade Foundation and Waitrose have announced a partnership to establish a different and collaborative way of working together. The two organisations plan to share best practice, experiences and a joint ambition to build upon...

The Fairtrade Foundation and Waitrose have announced a partnership to establish a different and collaborative way of working together. The two organisations plan to share best practice, experiences and a joint ambition to build upon sustainable supply chain models.

The Fairtrade Foundation will provide guidance to the Waitrose Foundation as it expands its trading model into areas where it does not currently operate, but where Fairtrade has experience.

The partnership will also mean that the work of the Waitrose Foundation will be recognised and validated by the Fairtrade Foundation – the first time the organisation will verify a third-party scheme.

Waitrose, which is an established supporter of Fairtrade, launched its own foundation 10 years ago to help improve the lives of workers and the communities supplying products such as citrus fruits, avocados, mangoes and flowers. The initiative democratically shares profits from Waitrose, the importer and exporter to support educational, social and healthcare projects.

Over 450 programmes have been launched in communities across Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. In Kenya, for example, re-used shipping containers have been used to open two hairdresser and community shop businesses, while solar street lighting has been installed that allows local businesses to open longer and the community to feel safer at night.

“Treating people fairly is at the heart of everything we do and – whether it’s our customers, our partners, the communities we operate in or the suppliers we work with – we endeavour always to behave responsibly,” said Mark Price, managing director of Waitrose.

“By combining Fairtrade’s expertise in this area with our retail operation, we believe we will be able to deliver greater benefits to the producers and suppliers with whom we both work and together demonstrate the future of fair trading.”

Michael Gidney, chief executive of the Fairtrade Foundation, added: “The objective of the new partnership is to work together to increase the social and economic impact of our respective supply networks, recognising the vital role that business now plays within the international development agenda.

“It is encouraging to see that retailers with vision are exploring new and innovative ways of working with the Fairtrade Foundation in order to benefit producers in developing countries and embedding these practices into a ‘business as usual’ approach. Research shows that the British public want retailers to do the right thing by their suppliers, so we look forward to this journey with Waitrose and hope that it may set a precedent that other companies will wish to emulate.”

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