Every bunny counts
Many cocoa farmers live in poverty – yet the fairly traded chocolate bunny often stays on the shelves. In the ETH Zukunftsblog, Isabel Günther explains why we should be more mindful when buying the iconic chocolate bunny.
The results of an online survey the ETH Development Economics Group conducted in Switzerland with 2,500 participants indicate that the Swiss are certainly willing to pay significantly more for chocolate that pays a higher price to producers. However, we are easily distracted when buying – by the packaging, for instance. Consumers seldom consciously decide between conventionally traded chocolate and the somewhat more expensive, but fairly traded chocolate. When we are standing in front of the supermarket shelf, our good intentions get quickly forgotten and we simply reach for the cheaper (and better-known) chocolate.
Give thought to the chocolate you buy
So it is no surprise that only 10 per cent of the chocolate consumed in Switzerland is Fairtrade. Higher demand would be, however, necessary to help to improve the living conditions of producers. With Easter around the corner, let’s pay more attention to the origin of the sweet bunny we buy — and also be more mindful about the 10 kilograms of chocolate that we buy per capita each year in this country.
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