Typhoo Going Fairtrade

Posted on February 16, 2010 by Michael

I have been informed that Typhoo is responding to Traidcrafts and the WIs Make it Fair campaign and become the first of the UKs big five tea producers to go Fairtrade.

Fantastic news in my opinion, hopefully its a 100% offering across their range rather than a specialist range, but in my opinion it would give it a real march on its rivals, and hopefully it will open up many many more people to Fairtrade. If this is true, then hopefully the other four of the big five (PG Tips, Tetleys, Twinnings and Yorkshire) will follow suit.

Ok fair enough PG Tips, Yorkshire and with their everyday tea, Twinings, have all began to start using Rainforest Alliance Certified (RFA) tea, PG Tips plan to be 100% RFA by the end of this year, and Twinings everyday brand will be 100% RFA by as late 2015!!!

RFA itself is ok, but it concentrates on the environmental side which is admirable, but neglects the workers, also while Fairtrade places the responsibility on the company making the final product, RFA places all the emphasis on the farmers, so they have to shell out the cash to get certified. Also some products that have the RFA seal are only 30% certified, which is the case with Galaxy chocolate, which also has palm oil in it, hardly good for the rain forest.

Anyway to sum up, if  Typhoo goes Fairtrade, then great, hopefully fewer people will buy Tetleys, sorry tastes  horrible and the owners Tata Tea are not at all interested in trade justice or ethical trade.

Watch this space.

Michael

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  • Michiel

    Hi Michael, i work for Unilever, PG tips' parent company. Unilever works with both Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade. I have worked closely on launches of some of our products that are certified by either RA or FT. Like you, I am excited about Typhoo's announcement.

    However, you say 'RFA (…) concentrates on the environmental side which is admirable, but neglects the workers'

    This is not true.

    Both schemes cover social, environmental and economical aspects of sustainability. Rainforest Alliance focuses on how farms are managed. Fairtrade is more focused on tackling poverty and how crops are traded. In the end, both systems work towards the common objective of a sustainable livelihood for farmers. But they use a different approach. Both schemes are sound, and both have their strengths and weaknesses.

    You also say that 'Fairtrade places the responsibility on the company making the final product, RFA places all the emphasis on the farmers, so they have to shell out the cash to get certified.'

    Again, this is not true. Both FT and RA require the farms to pay for their own certification (or in your words- to shell out the cash to get certified. For farms, this is an investment that provides them access to better incomes and better market access. Also, PG Tips/Unilever has invested significantly in helping small farmers to become certified through Farmer Field Schools http://www.makeitfair.org.uk/…/farmer_field_school_b...

    Lastly, you mention the galaxy bar which has palm oil, which is not certified. The same is true for e.g. the KitKat bar, which carries the Fairtrade label, and which uses palm oil that's not certified.

    I don't mean to nitpick but i think it's unhelpful when people compare the two schemes suggesting one is better than the other- they're different. It's like comparing apples and oranges.

    The reality is that we shouldn’t focus on the difference between RA and FT. We should focus on the difference between credibly certified and non-certified goods. Both RA and FT are members of ISEAL, http://www.isealalliance.org/ the de facto gold standard for certification schemes. They are both credible and sound schemes working towards a sustainable future.

    In that sense, i share your enthusiasm about Typhoo- what's important is that we see more certified goods coming to the market- whether it's FT or RA.

    BTW PG tips is already fully Rainforest Alliance certified – no need to wait till the end of this year! http://www.pgtips.co.uk/sustainability/

    best regards, and thanks for letting me weigh in!