The State of Sustainable Markets 2022

First published in 2015, this report is now updated annually on the state of sustainable markets. The International Trade Centre has teamed up once again with the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture and the International Institute for Sustainable Development to provide data about 14 major sustainability standards for bananas, cocoa, coffee, cotton, forestry products, oil palm, soybeans, sugarcane and tea.

The report presents market and statistical data on these sectors as well as at-a-glance tables on products and the following standards: 4C Services (4C), Better Cotton, Bonsucro, Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), Fairtrade International (Fairtrade), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), GLOBALG.A.P., IFOAM – Organics International (organic), the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), ProTerra Foundation (ProTerra), Rainforest Alliance (Rainforest), the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) and UTZ.

Data from the latest survey (2020 data) demonstrate how certified agriculture and forestry continue to grow, in line with an expanding global population and increasing demand for sustainable products. The rising share of total area and production volume covered by voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) suggests there is significant potential for further growth.

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Bitter Cup - The Dark Side of the Tea Trade

From: dw.com
"Working conditions on many of India's tea plantations are disastrous. The pickers live in dire poverty with no clean drinking water and are exposed to pesticides. Why are Indian tea workers not benefiting from the global tea boom?"

Watch the video

Labour exploitation is endemic in global tea and cocoa industries, international study finds

• International study shows forced labour is widespread in global tea and cocoa supply chains feeding European markets
• Ethical certification schemes are failing to combat forced labour in tea and cocoa supply chains
• Large scale reforms are needed from governments, global corporations, certification organisations, and industry auditors to eradicate forced labour – including living wages and strong enforcement of labour standards.

The study:  http://bit.ly/2kHcc9S
 
This study was directed by Professor Genevieve LeBaron Co-Director of SPERI at Sheffield University and Co-Chair, of  the Yale University Modern Slavery Working Group.

Evaluation report on the UTZ tea program in Sri Lanka

From utz.org
"This study, commissionned by UTZ, evaluated the social, economic and environmental outcomes of the UTZ tea program in Sri Lanka. The researchers took a qualitative approach, combining different research methods. They assessed the UTZ program within the local context, from the perspective of different stakeholders, and also looked for unexpected changes."

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Sustainability certified India tea estates violate worker rights

From in.reuters.com 

Tea estates in southern India are hiring temporary workers during peak plucking season and denying these labourers basic rights as required by law.

A survey in of Tamil Nadu at two tea estates - both certified by the international nonprofit Rainforest Alliance - found that in 2015, up to half of the workforce were temporary workers, and most were migrants or retirees. 

Read further

Sustainable Tea Production: Where in the World - Rainforest Alliance

From thefrogblog.org.uk 

Sustainable tea production has come a long way in recent years, but there is still a long way to go. Here's where Rainforest Alliance Certified tea production is on a global level.

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Research finds Fairtrade fails the poorest workers in Ethiopia and Uganda

Fairtrade certified coffee, tea and flowers do not improve lives of the very poorest rural people in Ethiopia and Uganda, according to a four-year research project conducted by leading development economists at SOAS, University of London. The project studied rural labour markets in areas producing crops for export, under different institutional conditions that included, in some research sites, Fairtrade certification.

More information and download the report

Fairtrade International's comments on the report

Unpeeling the Impacts of Poverty, Harriet Lamb, CEO of Fairtrade International, on the Huffington Post (United Kingdom)

Response to SOAS report: Fairtrade Foundation, UK

Fairtrade and Poverty Reduction: ISEAL Alliance’s Response to the SOAS Report

New coalition formed to address low wages in the tea industry

A new coalition of tea companies, non-governmental organisations and certification organisations said today that systemic problems are locking-in low wages for tea workers.  

 

The members of the coalition are committed to working together with other key stakeholders, including tea producers, governments, retailers and trade unions, to find a solution to a complex and challenging set of issues.

 

A new report, Understanding Wages in the Tea Industry, released on May 2 by Oxfam and the Ethical Tea Partnership, assesses the pay and benefits of workers on tea plantations in Malawi, India and Indonesia. 

 

The report found that the combined value of tea pickers' pay and benefits in Malawi is around average for the country but only about half the World Bank's poverty line income of $2 per person per day. In Assam, India, tea pickers earn just above the World Bank poverty line and just under the average Indian wage. In West Java, Indonesia, pickers' incomes are well above the poverty line but only a quarter of what the average Indonesian earns. In all cases workers' pay meets legal minimum wage requirements.

 Researchers identified a number of systemic problems that are locking in low wages, including:

• Workers' pay is set at a national or regional level, and not by individual plantations. Pay is pegged to the legal minimum wage - but this is often less than what is needed to cover households' basic needs.
• The history and structure of the plantation sector means that, in some countries, in-kind benefits, such as housing, form a significant amount of workers' income, yet the quality and uptake of these benefits can vary significantly between estates.
• The majority of workers, particularly women, have little say in pay and benefit negotiations.
• Wages are influenced by regional government policies to maximise rural employment. These policies set worker numbers for plantations, reducing producers' ability to manage their productivity and costs effectively.

Researchers found that the wages on estates certified by Fairtrade International, Rainforest Alliance and UTZ Certified were the same as for non-certified estates. This is because the certification process for plantation workers focuses on whether wages meet the minimum legal requirements. Certification is an important tool which has helped improve the livelihoods of smallholder producers across the globe and brings a range of benefits to workers which are not explored in the report.

Having embraced the report's findings, coalition members' will use their various spheres of influence to bring new organisations into the project and will develop its next phase to include:

• Working with national stakeholders to develop country specific action plans to tackle low wages and broader poverty issues in tea communities
• Further dialogue with key in-country influencers and stakeholders including tea producers, trade unions, governments and retailers to ensure broader and deeper understanding of the issues and challenges raised in the report
• Strengthening certification processes. Fairtrade International, Rainforest Alliance and UTZ Certified, have all committed to strengthen both their standards in relation to workers wages and the processes for implementing these standards.

Stephen Hale, GROW spokesperson said:

"No matter how big and powerful, individual tea companies or certification organisations cannot tackle the deep-rooted and complex barriers to a living wage on their own. The best chance we have of eradicating poverty wages is for the whole industry - producers, governments, retailers, trade unions, companies and certification organisations - to work together to find a solution. We are delighted that process has now started and will continue to support its progress. Oxfam's GROW campaign is working for a fair food system for everyone including the workers behind the world's favourite brew.

 Sarah Roberts, Executive Director, Ethical Tea Partnership said:

 "This project has already been very useful in terms of increasing understanding of the factors which affect the wages of workers on tea plantations. This gives us all a much firmer foundation from which to deal with the challenges ahead. There is much that we can build on from this initial work, including strengthening the diverse coalition of interested organisations willing to work together. It will need all of our combined efforts to make progress. At ETP, we will continue to use our expertise, convening power and relationships inside and outside the tea supply chain to increase the impact of the work that we are all doing to improve the lives of tea workers."

New coalition formed to address low wages in the tea industry

A new coalition of tea companies, non-governmental organisations and certification organisations said today that systemic problems are locking-in low wages for tea workers.  

 

The members of the coalition are committed to working together with other key stakeholders, including tea producers, governments, retailers and trade unions, to find a solution to a complex and challenging set of issues.

 

A new report, Understanding Wages in the Tea Industry, released on May 2 by Oxfam and the Ethical Tea Partnership, assesses the pay and benefits of workers on tea plantations in Malawi, India and Indonesia. 

 

The report found that the combined value of tea pickers' pay and benefits in Malawi is around average for the country but only about half the World Bank's poverty line income of $2 per person per day. In Assam, India, tea pickers earn just above the World Bank poverty line and just under the average Indian wage. In West Java, Indonesia, pickers' incomes are well above the poverty line but only a quarter of what the average Indonesian earns. In all cases workers' pay meets legal minimum wage requirements.

 Researchers identified a number of systemic problems that are locking in low wages, including:

• Workers' pay is set at a national or regional level, and not by individual plantations. Pay is pegged to the legal minimum wage - but this is often less than what is needed to cover households' basic needs.
• The history and structure of the plantation sector means that, in some countries, in-kind benefits, such as housing, form a significant amount of workers' income, yet the quality and uptake of these benefits can vary significantly between estates.
• The majority of workers, particularly women, have little say in pay and benefit negotiations.
• Wages are influenced by regional government policies to maximise rural employment. These policies set worker numbers for plantations, reducing producers' ability to manage their productivity and costs effectively.

Researchers found that the wages on estates certified by Fairtrade International, Rainforest Alliance and UTZ Certified were the same as for non-certified estates. This is because the certification process for plantation workers focuses on whether wages meet the minimum legal requirements. Certification is an important tool which has helped improve the livelihoods of smallholder producers across the globe and brings a range of benefits to workers which are not explored in the report.

Having embraced the report's findings, coalition members' will use their various spheres of influence to bring new organisations into the project and will develop its next phase to include:

• Working with national stakeholders to develop country specific action plans to tackle low wages and broader poverty issues in tea communities
• Further dialogue with key in-country influencers and stakeholders including tea producers, trade unions, governments and retailers to ensure broader and deeper understanding of the issues and challenges raised in the report
• Strengthening certification processes. Fairtrade International, Rainforest Alliance and UTZ Certified, have all committed to strengthen both their standards in relation to workers wages and the processes for implementing these standards.

Stephen Hale, GROW spokesperson said:

"No matter how big and powerful, individual tea companies or certification organisations cannot tackle the deep-rooted and complex barriers to a living wage on their own. The best chance we have of eradicating poverty wages is for the whole industry - producers, governments, retailers, trade unions, companies and certification organisations - to work together to find a solution. We are delighted that process has now started and will continue to support its progress. Oxfam's GROW campaign is working for a fair food system for everyone including the workers behind the world's favourite brew.

 

 Sarah Roberts, Executive Director, Ethical Tea Partnership said:

 "This project has already been very useful in terms of increasing understanding of the factors which affect the wages of workers on tea plantations. This gives us all a much firmer foundation from which to deal with the challenges ahead. There is much that we can build on from this initial work, including strengthening the diverse coalition of interested organisations willing to work together. It will need all of our combined efforts to make progress. At ETP, we will continue to use our expertise, convening power and relationships inside and outside the tea supply chain to increase the impact of the work that we are all doing to improve the lives of tea workers."

Sustainable tea production accounts for approximately 7.7 per cent of estimated global tea production for exports in 2009

Over the past five years, sustainable tea production (Rainforest Alliance, Organic, Fairtrade, Utz Certified) has grown by 5,557 per cent and, at 28,1 105 metric tons, accounts for approximately 7.7 per cent of estimated global tea production for exports in 2009.

Africa is the dominant supplier of sustainable tea for export; 70 per cent of all sustainable tea is currentlyproduced in Africa, whereas Africa only accounts for 32 per cent of conventional tea for export.

Supply of certified tea is set to increase significantly in the coming years due to various buyer initiatives: Tetley, Unilever and Twinings either have sourced, or have committed to, sourcing from sustainable supply in the coming years.

Text from The State of Sustainability Initiatives Review 2010.

The Availability of Sustainable Tea in the Assortments of Belgian Supermarkets

This study carried out by Facts Figures Future in the name of the Trade for Development Centre aims to give an overview of the current and future availability of sustainable tea in the assortments of major Belgian supermarkets.

The availability of Sustainable Tea in the Assortments of Belgian Supermarkets.pdf

 

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