Marks & Spencer announces new Fairtrade commitment

08/03/06 UK based retailer Marks & Spencer will conver all its coffee and tea to Fairtrade, making it the only major retailer to do so, and extending its commitment on Fairtrade certified cotton.

Its entire range of coffee and tea, totalling 38 lines, is switching to Fairtrade in a move estimated to increase the value of all Fairtrade instant and ground coffee sold in UK supermarkets by 18%, and increase the value of Fairtrade tea by approximately 30%. Fairtrade coffee will be sold in M&S stores from 6 March, with Fairtrade tea following from April.

Stuart Rose, Chief Executive, Marks & Spencer, said: "Our customers have told us they care about how our products are made and we want to help them make Fairtrade part of their retail habit. I'm therefore delighted to announce we are extending our commitment to Fairtrade by moving our entire range of tea and coffee to Fairtrade, which as a 100% own brand retailer we are in a unique position to do. Our conversion will significantly increase the value of Fairtrade coffee and tea in the UK.

Mr Rose continued: "Although we will only start selling clothing made from Fairtrade certified cotton from today, we have already received such positive feedback from our customers that we will be extending the range further this autumn. We have only been able to make these major commitments because of the high ethical standards we have across our supply chain and close partnerships with our suppliers and the farmers they work with."

The announcement coincides with the second phase of Marks & Spencer's 'Look behind the label' campaign to tell customers about the way its products are sourced and made.

Marks & Spencer already sells Fairtrade-only tea and coffee in its 200 Café Revive coffee shops, one of the largest chains in the UK, resulting in 35m cups of Fairtrade coffee being sold since September 2004.