The new annual report of Fairtrade Italy activities “The future is fair: supply chains and rights” was presented in Milan, which summarizes the sales trend of certified fair trade products in Italy and the set of initiatives implemented in 2021. Last year, Italians spent 553 million euros on products containing at least one Fairtrade certified ingredient. These include, for example, fresh fruit such as bananas and pineapples, coffee, chocolate, breakfast cereals, bars, biscuits, dried fruit, cut flowers, cotton clothing and much more. The brands can in fact be found on a wide range of products in supermarkets, hypermarkets, but also neighborhood shops, canteens and other collective catering places and vending machines.

At the same time, thanks to the sales of products in Italy, the benefits for the organizations of farmers and workers in Asia, Africa and Latin America are also growing, which received 3 million and 200 thousand euros as a bonus. Together with the stable minimum price, the premium constitutes one of the pillars of the Fairtrade model, and in practice it is an extra sum that organizations receive to carry out initiatives of collective interest, the result of a democratic decision. The award can be used for technical and production improvement, such as the purchase of fertilizers or other agricultural products and machinery; for the construction of classrooms and school facilities, health clinics or other.

Large-scale distribution remains the main distribution channel for these products. Coop Italia in 2021 continued with the inclusion of Fsi brand references; Aldi Italia, in addition to Fsi cocoa-based products, has recently introduced bananas to its assortment. Lidl Italia has maintained a wide range of products made with Fsi cocoa; IN's Mercato has extended its range of capsules with Fairtrade coffee, tripling its sales volumes.

The volumes of products sold amounted to 8,895 tons (+9%), and the premium generated for farmers was 1,884,398 euros. Bananas remain the best-selling product by volume: they reached 14,100 tons. The volumes of coffee sold, on the other hand, grew by 5% compared to 2020 with 843 tons. In line with the growth recorded in recent years, the sugar figure stands at 5,158 tons (+ 10%) thanks to the use of this product as an ingredient in packaged or multi-ingredient products, or in fruit juices. Among the business initiatives carried out during the year, it is worth noting the launch of the èQuì portal aimed at commercial establishments such as artisan coffee roasters, pastry shops, ice cream parlors and florists.