Background

M&S is a leading British retailer bringing exceptional quality and great value food to millions of customers globally.

M&S works with us as a partner to innovate and create solutions to the biggest challenges facing the food sector globally. 

The partnership

M&S was one of the earliest supporters of Fairtrade in the UK and has been sourcing Fairtrade for more than 20 years. M&S are committed to sourcing tea, coffee and cocoa as Fairtrade and select sugar and wine products and bananas. 

"At M&S we believe that every person in our supply chain should be paid fairly; cocoa farmers are under pressure to adapt to changing environments and growing demand for exceptional quality, that’s why we are increasing our commitment to fair and ethical sourcing with this investment with the Yeyasso cooperative. This long-term commitment means the cooperative can invest in their communities and adapt to changing weather patterns to protect the future of cocoa crop for generations of farmers to come," says Lucinda Langton, Head of Sustainability, M&S Food.

An opportunity for change

M&S came to Fairtrade Foundation with a new line of products, Choc Marks, with the aim of finding a unique way to support Fairtrade cocoa farmers with the challenges facing them today. Fairtrade Foundation’s solution was to facilitate a partnership between M&S and one specific cooperative, Yeyasso, working closely with the producer group and Fairtrade Africa. The first step was to establish long term contracting, M&S committing to 3 years of minimum sourcing volumes from the cooperative, allowing Yeyasso to plan for the future of their Fairtrade Premium spend and income. Yeyasso invest their Fairtrade Premium in projects that support their cooperative, communities, and climate resilience. These includes cooperative capacity building to provide better representation and services for members, water and education projects, as well as seedlings and other inputs to support farmers to improve productivity despite changing weather patterns.

To create even more sustainable impact for cocoa farmers, M&S have invested in Fairtrade's Living Income Programme. The LIP supports cocoa farmers to achieve a living income through a commitment to paying at least the Living Income Reference Price for volumes sourced, alongside an investment in productivity improvement, income & climate resilience, and child wellbeing.