When Sainsburys dropped the Fairtrade standard for its own-brand teas in June, it signalled the beginning of a difficult summer for the ethical accreditation scheme. But the thirst for ethical, traceable products remains. Pukka Herbs has opted for the Fair for Life certification – “much more than a logo on a pack”, as co-founder Sebastian Pole explains
Brands of Inspiration content: this article has been created by Positive News and supported by Pukka Herbs
How often do you peer into your dinner, packed lunch, or cup of tea, and wonder who grew the ingredients? Were the producers treated fairly? What about those in the rest of the supply chain?
When hectic modern life, and our globalised food systems makes answering those questions tricky, accreditation schemes can help us make more informed decisions about how we spend our cash. Fairtrade is the best-known: over 25 years it built a reputation for transparency and accountability, a ‘moral standard’ of ethical trading.
But it endured a difficult summer. First Sainsburys ditched the Fairtrade label from its own-brand tea, then Green & Black’s announced that their new chocolate bar will be neither organic nor Fairtrade-certified. Some decried the decisions to move away from the scheme – it is the world’s most famous ethical badge – while others suggested it is outdated, offering too few benefits to producers from the global south.
Some of the farmers have had to increase the amount that they pay labourers, or to invest in improved machinery to reduce the risk of injury or poor health
Enter a proliferation of new ‘ethical labels’. Bristol-based company Pukka Herbs has recently committed to Fair for Life – a ‘gold standard’ in fair and ethical trading. It isn’t exactly new – it began in 2006 – but it is gaining more attention as businesses and consumers seek broader measures of ethical impact.
“We want everyone involved to benefit from working with us,” explains Pukka co-founder Sebastian Pole. Unlike many fair trade programmes, the Fair for Life certification does not just focus on the farmers – it includes other links in the supply chain. “In our case,” says Pole, “this includes in-country partners that process the herbs and even all of us at the Pukka HQ in Bristol. Our Fair for Life certification makes us even fairer and more inclusive, supporting and protecting others across our supply chain, not just growers, in developing and developed countries.”
Pole adds: “Even in developed countries, labour laws may offer limited protection to farm workers and marginalised communities may need support – Fair for Life gives protection for all at a socio-economic disadvantage.”
Fair for Life was developed as a complementary approach to the existing fair trade certification system: at the time it was limited to certain products and models of fair trade. Committing to such stringent independent standards is no mean feat. “Years of hard work have gone into certifying all our teas Fair for Life,” notes Pole.
Fair for Life assesses through annual audits by qualified independent inspectors and each operation is measured against a list of published criteria. Pukka’s annual audit is in the public domain for all to see. The certification required…
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