Fairtrade continued to gain followers throughout 2020, a year marked by the exceptional circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the main conclusion that can be drawn from the latest sales report from Fairtrade Iberica, the leading label that certifies fairtrade products in Spain and Portugal. Fairtrade sales in 2020, a horrible year for the economy in general, exceeded 182 million euro and were 7% higher than in the previous year. Sales in Spain amounted to 136 million euro (4% more than in 2019) and in Portugal, they totaled 46 million euro, 17% higher than in the previous year.
“The figures show that -in a difficult context- society, consumers, and companies, also look for trade that improves social, economic, and environmental development, which is the exact objective we have at Fairtrade and at the State Fair Trade Coordinator,” stated Alvaro Goicoechea, director of Fairtrade Iberica.
In 2020, the growth in sales of fairtrade products certified with this seal was based on the increase in sales of two products. Cocoa sales increased by more than 14% and fruit sales grew by more than 12%. Despite this increase in sales, the average per capita consumption of fairtrade products in Spain in 2020 stood at 2.90 euro, i.e. two cents less than in 2019. However, it's worth noting that it stood at 1.67 euro in 2018 and that the trend in recent years is clearly upward and of great growth.
Regarding the certification of brands and products, Fairtrade Iberica has once again managed to improve its figures compared to 2019. “A total of 280 brands and 2,188 products were sold in the Peninsula, which represents a 4% increase in brands and a 9% increase in the assortment. We forecast we'll improve these figures in 2021 by certifying products that are working very well in other countries and by launching new brands,” the director of Fairtrade Iberica stated.
"These sales have contributed to directly helping producers. Nearly 1.4 million euro correspond to the Fairtrade premium, an additional margin to the 'fair price' that is paid to producers so they invest it in social, health, and business development projects through a democratic and participatory program,” Alvaro Goicoechea highlighted. In 2019, this premium stood at nearly 1.1 million euro. "It's important that it be invested in actions that benefit the entire community, especially under the current circumstances so that they can face the crisis caused by the coronavirus with greater resources," he added.
For more information:
Fairtrade Iberica
[email protected]
www.fairtrade.es