Fairtrade Fortnight heralds a number of milestones for the cause

Aside from our own Devine chocolate giveaway, the arrival of Fairtrade Fortnight 2010 this week has seen a number of high profile milestones met and big business pledges made across the world.  After recent YouGov data (published at Retail Week) showed a 12 percent growth in fairtrade goods through 2009 due, at least in part, to the moves of major supermarkets and cosmetics manufacturers, let’s take a look at some of the major moves being reported during and preceding Fairtrade Fortnight.  (Feel free to add more in the comments!)

The Big Swap
In an impressive and ambitious move, the Fairtrade Foundation have launched The Big Swap campaign which urges consumers to opt for the fair trade version of their favourite products.  Swaps can range from all kinds of everyday goods, from coffee, bananas and chocolate, to non-edible items such as cosmetics and clothes – with the target being to record one million and one swaps by the end of Fairtrade Fortnight.  For further information about registering your swaps or attending any Swapping events over Fairtrade Fortnight visit: http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/thebigswap

Fair Trade TV Advertising
With the launch of The Big Swap being a feat in itself, those watching TV over the next two weeks may well notice some significant advertising milestones.  At 8.15 on Thursday 25th February, Channel 4 will be broadcasting the first ad-break entirely dedicated to fair trade products.  The break has been co-ordinated by the channel to promote Fairtrade Fortnight and includes a commercial for The Big Swap as well as a range of other companies making significant moves into fair trade, including Co-op and Starbucks.

Ben and Jerry’s
The arrival of Fairtrade Fortnight has seen a large number of household name brands and companies announce a turn to fair trade products and practices, but the latest pledge by Ben and Jerry’s is perhaps one of the most significant.  Ten years after the founders of one of the world’s most well-known and socially-conscious ice cream brands announced being bought out by Unilever, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield proposed this month to use entirely fair trade ingredients across all their products by 2013 – a first for any ice cream company and a milestone for fair trade.

Cadbury’s Big Swap Songs
Literally making a song and dance about their moves to use fair trade cocoa, Cadbury’s are to release an eight track album called Big Swap Songs.  The confectioner recently announced that they would be investing £45 million to invest in sustainable farming methods in Ghana, India, South East Asia and the Caribbean – and to celebrate they have chosen Paulo Nutini and The Big Ghana Band to collaborate on a number of re-workings of songs from such artists as Goldfrapp and Elbow, as well as Nutini’s own hit Pencil Full of Lead.  The album can be downloaded online and is available on CD from the second week of Fairtrade Fortnight.