Oxfam: Ethical Concerns

Increased ethical concerns leave UK public unhappy with supermarket shopping

2 March 2007


New research by Oxfam today for Fairtrade Fortnight reveals that although 92% of British consumers buy their food and drink at major supermarkets, just 11% of us actually want to do so. Instead, most of us would prefer to buy direct from farmers (69%), local independent retailers (54%) or to grow our own food (47%), according to the survey of more than 1,700 UK residents.


This reluctance to shop at supermarkets, fuelled by concerns that they are still not doing enough to tackle increasing ethical and environmental issues, is coupled with an acceptance that they are hugely influential. Almost half of us (48%) think supermarkets can do the most to change how we shop: one in three (30%) think consumers can do the most themselves, and just 16% see the government as having the greatest influence on our shopping habits.


The survey also reveals some of the increasing ethical concerns underpinning our shopping habits:


· The biggest factor considered by consumers when buying food is whether the product comes in an excessive amount of packaging (86%), followed by whether the product is fairly traded (78%), how much it costs (75%) and whether it was air-freighted a long distance (65%);
· Two-thirds of us (68%) have refused to buy something because we associate its producer with unethical practices;
· 80% of us intend to buy more Fairtrade goods this year. By comparison, 60% say they will buy more organic food, and 51% will be buying more GM-free food;
· 44% say the only reason they don't buy more ethical goods is that there simply isn't an ethical equivalent for everything they want to buy, while 39% believe that ethically-sound versions are more expensive;
· Fighting the causes of climate change is yet to become an important part of everyday life - 39% of us haven't yet considered reducing our carbon footprint.
· However, environmental concerns are top of the UK's shopping list in 2007: 78% of us will do more to reduce our carbon footprint this year.


David McCullough, director of trading at Oxfam, said:
"Some supermarkets have made excellent progress to date. The Co-Op's commitment to Fairtrade has been outstanding for many years, while the decision by Sainsbury's and Waitrose to stock only Fairtrade bananas will have enormous benefits in the Windward Isles. Marks and Spencer, meanwhile, continue to lead the way in terms of making a wider range of Fairtrade products available on the high street.


"We would strongly encourage competitors such as Tesco and Asda to take their lead from such groundbreaking moves. By doing more to commit to fair trade practices and reduce their environmental impact, the biggest retailers can start to reverse the suspicion felt by many consumers over their huge influence."


As Britain heads into the second week of Fairtrade Fortnight, the findings point to the increasingly mainstream role that fair trade has to play in our lives:


· 14% of us buy Fairtrade at every possible opportunity, while 57% shop Fairtrade on a regular basis.
· 80% of the public feel very clear about why they should buy Fairtrade goods, with only 2% claiming not to understand the reasons for buying Fairtrade.
· The most popular ideal Fairtrade goods include Fairtrade cosmetics, which 13% were keen to see (and which are actually likely to appear in the near future), and Fairtrade computers, with one in ten of us keen to switch on a Fairtrade PC if that were possible. Other popular suggestions were Fairtrade meat (11%), Fairtrade mobile phones (8%) and Fairtrade cars (7%).


"Consumers are increasingly seeing Fairtrade as a practical way for them to fight poverty while they shop. With new products emerging faster than ever and such a high demand, 2007 should see Fairtrade take the high street by storm," said David McCullough.


Oxfam has been selling fair trade goods since the 1960s, and last year sold £7.8 million worth of fair trade products. It was a co-founder of the Fairtrade Foundation and Cafédirect (which is now the UK's fourth-largest roast and ground coffee brand), and was the first retailer of fair trade products or their equivalent in the UK, beginning in the 1960s. The charity also launched Progreso Fairtrade coffee bars in 1997, in collaboration with coffee cooperatives in Honduras and Ethiopia.


-Ends-


Notes to editors


Recent figures from the Competition Commission show that Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons control almost 75% of the UK grocery market, while Tesco takes approximately £1 in every £8 spent on the high street in Britain.

Oxfam works with supermarkets and other retailers through the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), an alliance of companies, NGOs and trade union organisations that works to promote and improve corporate codes of practice dealing with working conditions throughout the supply chain.



Survey conducted by Oxfam amongst more than 1,700 UK residents aged 16-65 during February 2007.

Source: www.oxfam.org.uk