THE sales of Fairtrade tea have increased by 35 per cent in 2025 — the equivalent of 549 million additional cups, the Fairtrade Foundation announced on International Tea Day, on 21 May.

The growth coincides with the Fairtrade Foundation’s Brew it Fair campaign (News, 23 May 2025) and Sainsbury’s decision to convert its own brand By Sainsbury’s black tea to Fairtrade, the charity said in a statement.

Eighty-nine MPs supported the campaign and signed an Early Day Motion on the topic. In December, Fairtrade — supported by representatives from Clipper and Sainsbury’s — submitted to 10 Downing Street its Brew it Fair petition, which was signed by more than 21,000 people, together with an open letter from more than 250 Kenyan tea farmers.

A tea farmer from Momul Tea Factory, in Kenya, Evelyne Cherugut, said that earnings from tea were unpredictable. “I decided to be involved [in the Fairtrade projects] to make additional income to educate my grandchildren,” she said.

Research carried out last year by the Fairtrade Foundation and Fairtrade Africa — the full results of which are to be published in a report this summer — suggests that only one in five tea growers in Kenya earn enough income each month to support their families with the essentials, the charity stated.

It has urged the UK Government to introduce “a responsible business law that would level the playing field for companies taking meaningful steps to address human rights and environmental challenges in global supply chains”.

The charity said that the UK market accounted for 67 per cent of all Fairtrade tea sold in the world. The figure was “based on UK actual 2025 sales and on forecast sales for non-UK countries”.

The senior sustainable sourcing manager for tea at the Fairtrade Foundation, Mahsa Yeganeh, said that “every extra cup of Fairtrade tea enjoyed in the UK translates into real, tangible benefits for the tea growers who are working hard but struggling to make ends meet. For anyone who hasn’t yet made the switch to Fairtrade tea, we would urge you to do so.”

The charity said that almost 20 per cent of all Fairtrade farmers and workers produced tea: more than 340,000 people.

Recent trade disruptions, caused by the knock-on effects of the conflict in Iran, have resulted in particular challenges for tea growers, since energy, fertiliser, and transport costs have risen. “Fairtrade’s focus remains on ensuring farmers are not left to absorb the costs of global disruption, and that supply chains are as resilient as possible. We urge retailers and brands to continue to pay a fair price and work with Fairtrade to build resilience in supply chains,” Ms Yeganeh concluded.

Fairtrade tea is sold in a number of supermarkets, including Co-op, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, and Waitrose, and by Clipper and Ringtons.