In October, Poland became the latest country to join the movement for fair and sustainable trade when Fairtrade Poland officially launched at the Natura Food Fair.
Joining 26 other Fairtrade organizations worldwide, Poland is already seeing a rise in interest in ethical consumerism and many Fairtrade products are currently on sale in many stores in the country.
Coffee is the most popular Fairtrade product in Poland, accounting for over 70% of all sales. The national petrol station chain PKN Orlen sells Fairtrade coffee in over 1,400 of its Stop Café outlets, making it the biggest driver of Poland’s Fairtrade sales to date. The Fairtrade Poland team plans to expand the product range further and expects to introduce Fairtrade bananas in 2017.
The awareness of the Fairtrade mark in Poland is currently at 28% (compared to 93% in the UK), but the number of people buying Fairtrade products on a regular basis has seen a sharp increase, up 13% in 2013-2015, according to GlobeScan research.
“We’re really excited about the possibilities offered by officially joining the Fairtrade system,” said Andrzej Żwawa, chair of Fairtrade Poland’s management board. “The launch during the Natura Food Fair demonstrates our strong ties to the organic movement, and to the pioneering organic businesses who were the first to introduce Fairtrade products to the Polish market.
“We are building our capacities, investing in people who can help build the market for Fairtrade products in Poland. At the same time we need to educate Polish consumers so that they know what Fairtrade is and the difference it makes to farmers and workers in the Global South – an important step in a country where awareness of ethical labels is still quite low.”
