Overall, there is a trend toward multi-issue initiatives that apply a wide spectrum of sustainability criteria, it says.

One such initiative is Fairtrade. The Fairtrade Foundation launched Fairtrade Fortnight 2011 (28th February - 13th March) by announcing that sales of Fairtrade products soared by 40% in 2010 to an estimated retail value of £1.17bn compared with £836m in 2009. UK shoppers are continuing to embrace Fairtrade, showing no downturn on ethical values despite the tough economic times.

Figures released in February by the Fairtrade Foundation reveal that every day in the UK, we are now consuming some 9.3 million cups of Fairtrade tea, 6.4 million cups of Fairtrade coffee, 2.3 million chocolate bars, 530,000 cups of Fairtrade drinking chocolate and 3.1 million Fairtrade bananas. "It is fantastic to break the first billion," said the Foundation’s Executive Director, Harriet Lamb. "Fairtrade is going from strength to strength because the public want it, it makes business sense, and most importantly because it’s working for the millions of farmers, workers and their families who see Fairtrade as their lifeline in these tough times. They’ll be cheering to know that UK shoppers and businesses still care. The challenges of global poverty and inequality are more serious than ever, especially for the farmers who grow the coffee, tea, bananas, rice or cotton on which we depend here in the UK. This first billion shows the potential for change. If the public, businesses and producers can now build on that momentum, Fairtrade could get to £2 billion by the end of 2012 . It’s ambitious, but it really would be game changing."

Neil Stephens, Managing Director at Nestlé Professional, manufacturers of leading brands including Nescafé and Kit Kat said: “Nestlé Professional knows the importance of stocking Fairtrade certified products and therefore recommends two of its best selling confectionery lines for vending operators, both of which are Fairtrade certified. Kit Kat Four Finger Milk remains the No.1 selling chocolate bar in the out-of-home market and the existing Kit Kat Four Finger Dark is currently the number one dark chocolate single.

“Why not stock the new and improved Kit Kat Four Finger 70% Dark to help increase sales? It features premium matte-finish packaging, as part of the renovation, and is supported by a range of free POS materials, which is crucial to helping drive customer awareness.

“We see Fairtrade certification as an important step on the sustainability journey, but it’s only one part of our overall commitment. In reality our work goes much wider. For example, we work with a number of associations including the Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, and 4C, in addition to the farmers and production operatives; and we look to support communities with nutrition, water and rural development as part of our Cocoa and Nescafé plans.”

Susan Nash, trade communications manager at Kraft Foods UK, commented: “For customers drinking coffee away from home, a sustainably farmed product is more important than ever. Recent statistics from our “Trends in Catering Survey” showed that 70 per cent of caterers think there is much more interest in ethically sourced food and drink – a figure topped only by locally sourced produce. And with 76 per cent of caterers agreeing that our industry is responding positively to green issues, there is interest in sustainability.

“For consumers, Kenco is leading the way in sustainability. Twice as many describe Kenco as ‘ethical’ compared to any other brand of soluble coffee, thanks to the brand’s ongoing commitment to sustainable farming and improving its environmental credentials. This spans the whole production cycle and supply chain, from growing the beans, where we’ve worked with Rainforest Alliance Certified farms since 2003, through to cutting-edge manufacturing technology, to the vending machine – Kenco is a founder member of The Paper Cup Recovery and Recycling Group. This focus on sustainability has seen Kenco’s retail value rise 4.3% to £124 million, according to public data, adding £5 million to its value over the last 12 months.”

Reducing the carbon footprint

Nestlé Professional has collaborated with leading foodservice distributor, Brakes Group, and announced a plan to save a massive 82,000 road miles over the next 12 months. In support of the food industry sustainability strategy, starting on 9th May 2011, this latest scheme to reduce transport miles marks an important step forward in both companies’ ongoing commitment to minimising their impact on the environment.

The initiative is two-fold and sees the two major hospitality brands join forces across regional depot deliveries to cut out unnecessary and ‘empty’ journeys. The Brakes Group fleet will, in essence, take responsibility for Nestlé Professional deliveries through Brakes Group’s distribution centre at West Hallam. By reciprocal arrangement, Nestlé Professional will take responsibility for moving products from Brakes Group’s distribution centre in West Hallam and replenish products destined for Leeds. This will cut out duplication and use vehicles efficiently.

Neil Stephens, Managing Director, Nestlé Professional said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be working alongside Brakes Group in this initiative, which is a significant move for a number of reasons. We see it as a sign-post to the rest of the hospitality industry to encourage suppliers and operators to work together for the common good of the industry and the environment as a whole. We hope that other suppliers will follow suit, as not only is this right for the environment but there is a real benefit in a pure business sense – by using transport intelligently, we can all reduce cost and improve scale.”

Alison Townson for Brakes Group added: “This is a significant move for both parties and one that points towards a change in our industry. It makes no sense, either commercially or environmentally, to have empty vehicles crossing the country and we believe this is the start of a much broader approach that we would welcome across the industry.”

Both Nestlé Professional and Brakes Group believe sustainable development is fundamental to their long term future and the reduction in transport miles will be verified by the IGD at the end of 2011.

The Green Earth Appeal is one of only 48 tree planting partners to the United Nations Environment Programme. Presented at the Houses of Parliament, the Appeal has scooped a top Green Apple Award for its contribution to the environment, winning the Gold Standard in the Food and Drink category.

 The Paper Cup Company produces printed paper cups for the UK and across the globe. Recently it has started working with Green Earth Appeal to help offset its carbon footprint by planting trees for every 1000 paper cups sold. For just 99p per 1000 cups, the Green Earth Appeal will plant a single tree which will replace the paper used in the manufacturing of printed cups. The customer will then receive a certificate showing how many trees have been planted to offset their carbon footprint. They can also use the Green Earth Appeal branding on their paper cups, which will show their own customers that they are being a responsible company. The Paper Cup Company began supporting Green Earth Appeal’s plant a tree scheme in April 2011. The first customer of the Paper Cup Company to join the scheme is Zan Enterprise, a London based firm.

PepsiCo, meanwhile, has begun offering five options of eco-friendly, recyclable and compostable cups to foodservice customers in the US through company-owned and independent bottler distribution systems.

“The new cups are an advancement in technology, but also in the way we communicate,” said Margery Schelling, CMO PepsiCo Foodservice. “Customers increasingly are asking for environmental products that match changing needs, expectations and lifestyles. We want consumers to enjoy their favourite fountain beverages and feel good about the environmental impact of their purchases.”

Established in 1990, by the vending, foodservice and plastics industries, Save a Cup remains the only not for profit dedicated plastic and polystyrene recycler. Save a Cup continues its forward thinking approach and has extended its service beyond cups to include sachets, pods, cans and paper cups.

The award winning Save a Cup scheme offers customers a convenient, cost effective solution to waste disposal, in which careful management, the use of specialist recyclers and full auditing ensures that nothing goes to landfill.

With so many opportunities to purchase goods made with ethically sourced ingredients, that are transported with minimum impact on the environment and disposed of responsibly, businesses can now cater for the consumer in a much more sustainable way.

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