For a Better World

In this episode, we head to York, England, where Nestle’s UK KitKat bars are manufactured. Here, we speak with the campaigner who successfully brought international attention to Nestle’s decision to drop Fairtrade certification.

When Nestle first announced the decision, Joanna Pollard, Coordinator of Fairtrade Yorkshire, sent Nestle a letter urging them to change course. She received no response. So, Joanna wrote another letter to Nestle—except this one also included the signatures of over 300,000 people from around the world who were joining in solidarity with cocoa farmers. That letter received a response from Nestle—and it also brought them to the negotiating table. While the fight is far from over, Joanna’s organizing efforts serve as a reminder of our collective strength when we join together in solidarity. When it comes to holding multinational corporations accountable, not one of us is powerful enough on our own, but when we organize together we can build that power.

Feeling inspired to take action? Add your name to our petition and help us send a resounding message to the world’s biggest chocolate companies: it’s time to end the systemic exploitation of cocoa farmers and address the root causes of child labor in West African cocoa: https://fairworldproject.salsalabs.org/end-child-labor-in-cocoa/index.html

Enjoyed the show? Rate, review, subscribe and support our work on Patreon: patreon.com/ForABetterWorldPodcast. For a Better World is a show by Fair World Project. Learn more about our work and sign up for our newsletter at FairWorldProject.org. Stay in touch with us between episodes by following us on Twitter and Instagram: @fairworldprj and on Facebook: @fairworldproject.

With so many companies making fair trade, ethical, and sustainability claims, it can be difficult to navigate the nuance from one label to the next. In this episode, we’re taking a break from the ingredients in the KitKat bar to look at the label that wraps them all together.

Before a fair trade label became just one of many ethical labels in the marketplace, fair trade was a movement, built by and for small-scale farmers. A movement rooted in democracy, transparency, equity, and long-term trade relationships. As for the labels themselves? Those are just a tool. The real goal is to get companies to commit to trading fairly with the people who grow their ingredients. When Nestle’s UK KitKat bar became fair trade certified, some wondered if this could be a turning point. Instead, in the middle of a global pandemic, they dropped fair trade for Rainforest Alliance—a labeling scheme with no minimum price guarantee.

In this episode, we head to the coffee fields of Nicaragua to speak with Merling Preza, one of the original leaders of the fair trade movement and the General Manager of PRODECOOP. Merling helps us wrap up the first half of this season by bringing together fair trade’s history with a vision for its future. And together, we find out how we can all support small-scale farmers and their vision for a more fair economy.

Enjoyed the show? Rate, review, subscribe and support our work on Patreon: patreon.com/ForABetterWorldPodcast. For a Better World is a show by Fair World Project. Learn more about our work and sign up for our newsletter at FairWorldProject.org. Stay in touch with us between episodes by following us on Twitter and Instagram: @fairworldprj and on Facebook: @fairworldproject.

Palm oil is everywhere—it’s in chocolate bars, packaged foods, even beauty care products and biofuels. But its ubiquity has come at the expense of forest communities whose lands have been stolen and subsequently destroyed, fueling human rights abuses and the climate crisis. This is episode 3 of Nestle’s KitKat Unwrapped, and in it we’re exploring the slippery business of palm oil.

In this episode, we speak with Robin Averbeck, Forest Program Director at Rainforest Action Network (RAN), as they describe how Nestle and other Big Food companies have turned palm oil into one of the leading global drivers of deforestation. Then, we speak with Safianu Moro, Managing Director of Serendipalm Company Limited in Ghana. Here, small-scale farmers are growing palm oil regeneratively, on small plots of land that are rich in biodiversity. Taken together, their stories provide a striking contrast and a strong reminder: like most crops, palm oil is not inherently destructive or exploitative—the industrialized food system is.

For a Better World is a show by Fair World Project. Learn more about the show at FairWorldProject.org. If you like what you hear, support our work on Patreon: patreon.com/ForABetterWorldPodcast.

Enjoyed the show? Rate, review, and subscribe! Stay in touch with us between episodes by following us on Twitter and Instagram: @fairworldprj and on Facebook: @fairworldproject, or sign-up for our newsletter: https://fairworldproject.salsalabs.org/subscribe/index.html

From the trans-Atlantic slave trade to present-day trade policies, sugar is a crop that has shaped a lot of the world—and it continues to have very big, real-life consequences for the communities that grow it. This is episode 2 of Nestle’s KitKat Unwrapped, and we’re diving into the world of sugar.

Before sugar made it to Nestle’s (formerly) fair trade certified UK KitKat bar, it was grown, harvested, and shipped from Fiji, a small island nation nearly 10,000 miles away from the English factory where it would be used. Why was Nestle going to such great lengths for Fijian sugar? The answer is tangled in the bitter history of both countries. Karen Mapasua of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) helps us understand how this history continues to impact the island today.

Then we speak with Andres Gonzales of the Manduvira sugar cooperative in Paraguay. Here, cooperatively organized, small-scale sugar farmers are bucking the global sugar establishment and making history with a farmer-owned sugar growing and milling operation. The success in their community shows an inspiring alternative to business-as-usual and lights the way toward a sweeter future in sugar.

Since we originally recorded this episode, the island of Fiji was hit by Cyclone Yasa, a category five tropical cyclone. Winds reached 160 mph and heavy rains destroyed food and sugarcane crops for 90-100% of Fijian households. The consequences of the climate crisis continue to disproportionately impact those least responsible. To learn more and support relief efforts, follow the link in this episode's transcript.

For a Better World is a show by Fair World Project. Learn more about the show at FairWorldProject.org. If you like what you hear, support our work on Patreon: patreon.com/ForABetterWorldPodcast.

Enjoyed the show? Rate, review, and subscribe! Stay in touch with us between episodes by following us on Twitter and Instagram: @fairworldprj and on Facebook: @fairworldproject, or sign-up for our newsletter: https://fairworldproject.salsalabs.org/subscribe/index.html

For decades, Nestle has been cited again and again for human rights abuses and environmental devastation caused by its supply chains. Despite that, they still manage to make all kinds of ethical claims that would have you believe otherwise. At one point, Nestle even held fair trade certification on its U.K. KitKat bar. Then in 2020, they dropped the certification and plunged thousands of small-scale cocoa and sugar farmers into economic uncertainty.

In this episode, we speak with Fortin Bley, President of the Ivorian Fair Trade Network (RICE), the farmer organization which once supplied Nestle with their fair trade cocoa, and RICE Coordinator, Franck Koman. We’ll also hear from Simran Sethi, author of Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love. Together, we’ll find out how Nestle’s decision is impacting small-scale cocoa farmers and the chocolate industry as a whole. And we'll learn what we can all do to support a truly fair future for the world’s cocoa farmers.

For a Better World is a show by Fair World Project. Learn more about the show at FairWorldProject.org. If you like what you hear, support our work on Patreon: patreon.com/ForABetterWorldPodcast.

Enjoyed the show? Rate, review, and subscribe! Stay in touch with us between episodes by following us on Twitter and Instagram: @fairworldprj and on Facebook: @fairworldproject, or sign-up for our newsletter: https://fairworldproject.salsalabs.org/subscribe/index.html

Behind every single thing you wear, eat, and use there are countless untold stories. On For a Better World, you’ll hear from farmers, workers, and activists around the globe as they reveal the hidden costs of everyday items. And you’ll hear from people who are building alternative models that are rooted in justice and can heal the earth—building a better world for everyone.

For a Better World is a show by Fair World Project. Learn more about our work at FairWorldProject.org. If you like what you hear, support our work on Patreon: patreon.com/ForABetterWorldPodcast and don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe!