INDUSTRY NEWS
Fairtrade calls for UK ‘responsible business’ law to protect cocoa farmers, as 58% warn climate change is their biggest challenge
The Fairtrade Foundation is calling on the UK Government to introduce a mandatory Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) law to better protect cocoa farmers and workers from poor working conditions, volatile prices and environmental harms across global supply chains. As Easter puts cocoa in the spotlight, Fairtrade says stronger regulation is needed to ensure companies take responsibility for the social and environmental impacts of the products they source. While some chocolate companies are already taking action, many farmers continue to face low incomes, human rights risks and climate-related challenges without additional investment and oversight. New research from Fairtrade
involving nearly 500 cocoa farmers in Côte d’Ivoire found 58% say climate change – including unpredictable weather, pests and disease – is now their biggest challenge. In many cocoa-growing regions, climate change has increased price volatility and financial instability for farming communities. At the same time, rising
chocolate prices are influencing consumer behaviour. Research from Kantar, commissioned by the Fairtrade Foundation for the next phase of its Do It Fair campaign, found that 65% of UK adults have changed their chocolate-buying habits in the past year due to higher prices. More than a third (35%) say they are buying less chocolate, while 3% report they have stopped buying it altogether. Despite this, awareness of
the realities faced by cocoa farmers remains low. One in four people believe cocoa farmers earn more than £10 a day, when in reality many earn less than the international poverty line
Photo of Dora Atiiga and other cocoa farmers. Credit: Fairtrade
of around $3 a day. However, support for fairer supply chains is strong: 54% of UK adults say they would pay more for chocolate if it guaranteed fairer pay and rights for farmers, rising to 73% among 16–34-year-olds. Fairtrade Foundation Senior
Sustainable Sourcing Manager for Cocoa Marina El-Hasni said: “Most people aren’t aware of the exploitation and challenges faced by cocoa farmers. Ensuring farmers are paid fairly, especially when prices are volatile, has never mattered more. “This Easter, we’re urging people to look for the Fairtrade Mark on their Easter eggs and calling on the Government to introduce a responsible business law that puts fairness for farmers and workers at the heart of UK supply chains.” Fairtrade also highlighted the
impact of its programmes through farmers such as Dora Atiiga from Ghana, who used training from Fairtrade’s Women’s School of Leadership to establish a school in her community that now supports around 170 children.
MARCH 2026 • KENNEDY’S CONFECTION • 7
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