The Co-operative launches world's first fairly traded charcoal
The Co-operative - the UK’s leading supermarket supporter of Fairtrade - will achieve yet another ethical first by introducing the world’s first fairly-traded charcoal, working in partnership with Traidcraft.
Produced in Namibia, the fairly-traded charcoal provides valuable employment for around 1,000 producers. The production is controlled by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC), which means that only surplus trees are cut down, allowing overgrown land to become productive again.
At present, there are no international Fairtrade standards for charcoal products, but, on identifying the opportunity for enhanced producer support, The Co-operative liaised with Traidcraft - the UK’s leading independent fair trade organisation - to help develop independent standards that reflect the recognised Fairtrade model. The fairly-traded status means that the producers have contracts, are provided with free kilns and typically receive three times the minimum wage. A social premium will also be generated by sales of the charcoal, which will go towards community projects. A committee of producers will be set up by Traidcraft, which will democratically decide how the money will be spent to help benefit and enrich the community.
The Co-operative hopes that before too long, appropriate standards will be developed to allow the products to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark
The fairly-traded charcoal range will be rolling out into selected Co-operative stores from 20 April 2009, and consists of the following products:
The Co-operative Fairly-traded Instant Barbecue with Stand £1.99 (3 for £5)
The Co-operative Fairly-traded Party Size Instant Barbecue with Stand £4.99
The Co-operative Fairly-traded Instant Lighting Charcoal 3kg £3.99
Brad Hill, Fairtrade Strategic Development Manager for The Co-operative, commented: “This is another example of The Co-operative taking a leadership position and identifying opportunities for growers and producers whose products do not yet have Fairtrade standards applied to them.
“The Co-operative was the first high street retailer to list Cafédirect back in 1992, two years before it received official Fairtrade certification, and in 2001, we worked in partnership with Traidcraft to launch the very first fairly-traded wines. Following this, internationally-agreed Fairtrade wine standards were developed and our wines soon began to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark. We hope that our pioneering work on charcoal will once again open up market access for suppliers in Africa and allow them to capitalise on the ever-increasing demand for Fairtrade products.”
The Co-operative’s supplier of charcoal, Rectella Bar-Be-Quick, has also played a key role in this new venture having taken inspiration from The Co-operative’s other Fairtrade initiatives over the past years, and the retailer’s desire to broaden the range of Fairtrade products available to Co-operative customers.
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