For South African consumers and businesses, fairness is the name of the game.
Fairtrade Africa’s #BeFairRightNow campaign runs until the 6th of January 2023 and it has an important message for Mzansi: now now just doesn’t cut it when it comes to fairness.
In terms of fair wages, worker dignity and environmental sustainability, right now is the name of the game. And it’s never been easier for consumers to choose fairness or for businesses to partner with Fairtrade Africa.
Thapelo Mokoena, esteemed actor and wine producer recently added his voice to the campaign – encouraging South Africans to take the engaging #BeFairRightNow quiz that introduces consumers to the workers that help to produce their morning brew or evening glass of wine.
Finishing the quiz and signing up to the Fairtrade Africa mailing list puts users in the running for incredible prizes (think: a luxury Fairtrade experience in the winelands, among others). Additional coverage has also come from the likes of Cape Town Magazine, Cape Town ETC. and Business Tech Africa. Well-known public figures such as former Miss Earth South Africa, Catherine Constantinides, and Award Winning Author and Chef Zola Nene will be amplifying the campaign in the coming month.
In short, aside from giving loadshedding-exhausted South African consumers a chance to win some amazing prizes, the campaign is an opportunity for consumers and businesses to make the connection between the people behind the products we love, produce or sell, and to start choosing fairness for everyone involved.
About Fairtrade
The Fairtrade label is the most trusted ethical certification in the world. Seeing the Fairtrade Mark on a product is a signal to consumers: this product’s producers have met with a set of rigorous international standards.
Basically, to buy a product with this Mark means supporting workers’ rights, promoting gender equality, combating child labour, prioritising fair pay and supporting eco-friendly farming practices. In addition, it means contributing to the Fairtrade Premium, a sum of money over and above the Fairtrade price that goes into a communal fund for workers and farmers to use – as they see fit – to improve their social, economic and environmental conditions.
All that in a sip of wine (or coffee or tea)? Yebo.
Fairness is good for business
Now – more than ever – consumers care about the story behind the products they buy. A 2020 Mastercard study shows that 98% of South African adults are willing to take personal action to combat environmental and sustainability issues.
The data is clear: issues like fair incomes, environmental practices and human rights are top of mind for consumers. Partnering with Fairtrade is a powerful way to prioritise the lives of farmers and workers in your supply chain and make tangible progress on your UN SDG targets, all while strengthening your relationship with shoppers.
This year, the South African online spirits retailer CyberCellar solidified their brand focus on sustainability by adding a Fairtrade category to its “Conscious Wines” selection. This is a step in a fair direction and a bold message for South African consumers and businesses alike: Fairtrade is a category with just as much weight as “Local is Lekker”, “Vegan”, “Biodynamic”, “Organic” and the like.
By joining other household names like Woolworths, Faithful to Nature and Bean There in a Fairtrade partnership, CyberCellar solidifies the message that fairness isn’t complicated, and that respect for people and planet are inseparable from profit-driven goals.
“Fairtrade’s focus on people and planet suits the CyberCellar ethos perfectly. Enjoying a sip of well-crafted wine and knowing that everyone involved in the making of it was treated fairly and with dignity, and resting assured that the Earth was protected in the process – that’s just an unbeatable feeling.” – Andrew Douglas, Group Managing Director of Southern Skies (Parent company to CyberCellar)
Take the quiz here.
ALSO SEE: Practice kindness with SA Harvest and your MySchool card
Issued by Margot van Wyk on behalf of Fairtrade Africa
Feature image: andresr via Getty Images
