Last year, Germans spent more on fair trade products than ever before. Overall, sales rose to 2022.2 billion euros in 36, eleven percent more than in the previous year. This was announced by the Fairtrade Germany association on Tuesday in Cologne.
More bananas sold
According to the study, German consumers spend an average of 28 euros a year on fair products. More than half of these were retailers' own brands. Consumers are particularly likely to buy fair-trade bananas, where sales rose by 8 percent year-on-year to 117,000 tonnes. Cocoa sales also increased – rising by 4 percent to 81,000 tonnes. Coffee sales, on the other hand, recorded a slight decline of 1.5 percent to 24,000 tonnes. Coffee is considered a particularly important product for the association, as it generates the most sales.
However, another product category is a problem child, says Claudia Brück, board member of Fairtrade Germany. Last year, 23 percent fewer cut flowers were sold than in the previous year. One of the reasons for this is higher fertilizer and freight costs. By selling Fairtrade products in Germany, producers also receive Fairtrade premiums. Last year, they amounted to 44 million euros, an increase of ten percent.