Nairobi, Oct. 6, 2023 – Fairtrade has announced the 2023 Fairtrade Global Awards Winners, its first edition.
The award recognises outstanding and innovative contributions from businesses to create a fair and just global trade system across the world.
Hosted by Fairtrade Africa, the Fairtrade Global Awards featured a diverse range of eight categories celebrating excellence in ethical and sustainable trade practices from climate action to living wages and income.
Sandra Uwera, the Chief Executive of Fairtrade International, said: “Businesses have the potential to be remarkable agents of positive change.
“At Fairtrade International, we’ve seen countless examples of companies going the extra mile to make a sustainable impact.
“With great pride, we announce the launch of new award categories, recognising those businesses that are leading the way.
“Let us use their stories as a source of inspiration, a testament to what is possible, and a call to action for others to follow suit in the pursuit of a more sustainable world.”
The panel of judges comprised a group of experts and leaders deeply committed to ethical trade practices and sustainability.
They brought a wealth of experience, knowledge, and passion to the evaluation process.
The winners and runners-up are:
Fairtrade Climate Leader Award
Winner: Co-op, UK;
Runner up: HPW Fresh and Dry Limited, Ghana
Fairtrade Innovation Award
Winner: Equifruit, USA;
Runner up: Nestle Nespresso SA, Switzerland
Fairtrade Living Income Leader Award
Winner: Fairtrade Original, Netherlands;
Runner up: DRWakefield, UK & Netherlands
Fairtrade Living Wage Leader Award
Winner: German Retailers Working Group on Living Income and Living Wages;
Runner up:Journeys End Brands (Pty) Ltd, South Africa
Fairtrade Africa Award
Winner: Ivoirienne de Noix de Cajou SA, Côte d’Ivoire (under the group brand “Cashew Coast”);
Runner up: Omniflora Blumencenter GmbH, Germany
Fairtrade Asia and Pacific Award
Winner: Nature Pearls Private Limited, India;
Runner up: Ceylbee International (Pvt) Ltd, Sri Lanka
Fairtrade Latin America and Caribbean Award
Winner: Green and Blacks (Mondelez International), UK;
Runner up: Delica AG, Switzerland
The awards also recognised a global Fairtrade Partner of the Year
Winner: Ben and Jerry’s, USA;
Runner up: Coop Genossenschaft, Switzerland
The Fairtrade Partner of the Year Award recognizes excellence and strong commitments by companies which go above and beyond their Fairtrade certification engagement.
Collaboration is the key, with the award recognizing existing commitments, strong two-way relationships with producer groups and a willingness to innovate and test new approaches in collaboration with Fairtrade.
About Fairtrade Africa
Fairtrade Africa is a member of Fairtrade International and serves as the umbrella network organisation representing and supporting Fairtrade certified producer organisations in Africa and the Middle East.
Established in 2005 and with the secretariat based in Nairobi, Fairtrade Africa has four regional networks: Eastern & Central Africa; Southern Africa; West Africa; and the Middle East & North Africa.
Fairtrade Africa currently represents more than 1.3 million farmers and workers in 660 producer organisations spread across 28 countries in Africa and the Middle East by providing services that contribute to the improvement of their livelihoods. (GBN)
