World Day

Fair Trade, in Italia Fairtrade certifies an economic value of 550 million

This emerges from the 2024 Fairtrade Italia social report. The most sold products in Italia are bananas (14 thousand tonnes)

by Niccolò Gramigni

8 May 2026

Lavoratori che caricano sul camion caschi di banane tagliati e avvolti in pellicola protettiva, durante la raccolta nella piantagione (Adobe Stock)

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Fairtrade Italia's social report
The value of bananas

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The whole world celebrates Fair Trade Day on 9 May. From drinking coffee to picking fruit, Fairtrade is something that connects European consumers to over 1.9 million farmers and workers in 75 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Fairtrade Italia has been representing 'Fairtrade' certification marks in Italia since 1994: it works in partnership with Italian companies, supports them in sourcing certified raw materials and in consolidating supply chains where the rights of workers and the environment are respected. Around 2,500 products are currently on sale in Italia.

Fairtrade Italia's social report

Fairtrade Italia's social balance sheet for 2024 increasingly certifies the centrality of Fairtrade: an economic value of more than 550 million was generated. Also in 2024, purchases in Italia generated approximately EUR 4 million in the form of Fairtrade premiums (+4% compared to the previous year), an extra sum that companies pay over and above the sale price.

Internationally, the sale of certified products generated a premium for local producers of EUR 201.6 million, bringing the total value redistributed over the past five years to more than EUR 1 billion.

The value of bananas

If we look at the main tropical supply chains of products imported into Italia, we realise that bananas are the leading product with over 14,000 tonnes sold in 2024. Cocoa generated more than two million euro premium with volumes exceeding 10,000 tonnes (+5%), coffee showed a growth of more than 12.5%.

Extending the analysis to products in the non-food sector, cotton is expanding by 40% and cut flowers by 28%. "World Fair Trade Day is an opportunity to reflect and become increasingly aware that every single purchase gesture can make a difference," says Paolo Pastore, general director of Fairtrade Italia. "The data speak of an Italia involved in change: in a world that demands responsibility, Fairtrade represents a system capable of combining rigour and real impact.

According to Pastore, 'the real challenge, which we pursue as pioneers of fair trade, is a 360-degree vision that integrates the economic, social and environmental pillars into a single governance model. There is no protection of the land without the economic stability of those who cultivate it: the fair price and the Fairtrade Premium are the technical tools that allow farmers to invest in resilient agricultural practices, while guaranteeing the fundamental rights of people, access to services also for women, and the absence of child exploitation'.

'For companies,' he concludes, 'this approach is no longer just an exercise in social responsibility, but a determining factor of competitiveness and strategic solidity. In a global market marked by financial speculation and climate crisis, guaranteeing the integrity of the supply chain means ensuring the continuity of supplies and responding concretely to the market's demands for transparency, leaving to future generations an economic system that has created added value for all those involved'.