Co-operative Bank puts sales of ethical goods and services in 2011
at more than £47bn, up from £35.5bn five years ago
[ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذه الصورة] Sales of ethical goods and services have increased
despite the recession, growing to more than £47bn last year.
Since the onset of the economic downturn five years ago,
the value of ethical markets from Fairtrade products and green energy
to free-range and sustainable food has grown from £35.5bn
to £47.2bn, according to a report produced by the Co-operative Bank.
The annual ethical consumer markets report shows that sales
in the sector have grown from £13.5bn in 1999.
Barry Clavin, sustainability reporting manager at
the Co-operative, said: "This report shows that intervention
by enlightened businesses, together with regulatory intervention,
is driving ethical sales growth.
"During the downturn we've seen some of the biggest-ever
Fairtrade conversions, be it in chocolate or sugar, and business
is beginning to respond to the challenge to provide consumers
with more sustainable products and services
such as fish, palm oil and soya.
"Ethical consumers are still a vitally important agent of change.
However, the actions of progressive business
are now a significant contributor to sales growth."
Sustainable fish has become increasingly popular,
with sales up to £292m last year from £69m five years ago,
while Fairtrade sales more than doubled to £1,262m in 2011
and free range eggs sales rose from £444m to £792m.
Sales of organic produce, however, fell from a high
of £1.9bn in 2008 to around £1.5bn last year.
Small-scale green energy increased last year, with people
benefiting from the feed-in tariff subsidies for solar panels,
and overall markets for green home products increased by
more than 10% on the previous year to be worth £8.4bn.
The Co-operative put the growth in ethical markets down to consumers,
increasing action by business and more regulatory intervention.
But Clavin said that ethical markets remain a small proportion
of total sales, and solutions that ensure environmental sustainability,
good animal welfare and a fair deal for producers required
a government committed to long-term intervention.
موضوع: Ethical goods sales increase despite recession 
