In your workplace

What’s the first thing you do when you get into work? Make a coffee? Perhaps tea is more your thing.

This simple act can have a profound impact on the lives of farmers and workers around the world. It boils down to choice, and connecting the dots between the farmer and the products in your workplace kitchen.

By choosing Fairtrade products, you’re telling your team, your clients and associates that you support an environmentally responsible and socially just world. Its leadership in its simplest form.

It is a simple and meaningful way to expand your Corporate Social Responsibility commitment too. And in Australia in particular, sourcing Fairtrade is also an important way for businesses to comply with the Modern Slavery Act.

Being part of a global company, we strive towards a more sustainable and ethical future. Fairtrade at Work fits so well with everything else that we’ve been doing regarding staff engagement and in promoting sustainable living, not only in the workplace but also at home. Our staff experience a wonderful ‘feel good’ factor just by drinking their cup of coffee every morning. What a positive start to a working day.

Olivia Mikkelsen

Frontline Administrator at RICOH

We know that we are a big player in the market and we can make a difference. Moving to Fairtrade for BNZ was about our commitment to corporate responsibility. We like our actions to speak and we made the change because it is the right thing to do.

Jessica Rodger

Sustainability Manager at BNZ

KPMG NZ was pleased to become a certified Fairtrade workplace in 2014. It wasn’t a hard change to make as we believe purchasing Fairtrade certified products is better for the growers & farmers, our communities and the environment – so better for all of us, plus the new Fairtrade tea and coffee products we purchase have been received very favourably by our people. Fairtrade aligns well with our New Zealand CSR strategy, our Global commitment to the UN Global Compact and Global partnership with Oxfam, and is one way to encourage our people to support the positive economic principles of Fairtrade. We are also looking at ways of introducing a wider range of Fairtrade products into our business.

Justine Todd

National Operations Manager at KPMG NZ

At the Sustainable Business Network we have a strict procurement policy around everything we purchase including a commitment to buying Fairtrade certified coffee, tea, sugar, cocoa and, where possible, fruit such as bananas for our kitchen supplies and catering. In the first instance we purchase Fairtrade products from our members. We believe it’s important to buy Fairtrade to support sustainable businesses all around the world by paying a fair price for producers as well as helping farmers in the Fairtrade system to better care for the communities and environment they live in.

Julia Jackson

Transformational Leader at SBN

Resources for Fairtrade supporting workplaces