Brewing a Better Future: How the UK is Perking Up to a Sustainable Society

This summer, I visited London and Wales in the UK to see how consumers and businesses in the UK, a country that is a leader in fair trade, are accepting fair trade and certified products, and to experience what life is like in the countryside.

In the UK, you can easily find Fairtrade products, Rainforest Alliance products, B Corp products, etc. at supermarkets and privately owned stores, and there are far more products with certification marks than in Japan. This shows that British companies and stores have a high awareness of these issues.

In particular, many supermarkets’ own brand products carry the Fairtrade mark, and there is no doubt that the certification system is an indicator of the trustworthiness of companies and products.

On the other hand, a big difference between Japan and the UK is that there are few supermarkets and stores in Japan that handle fair trade products. I had thought that the reason fair trade was not widespread in Japan was due to a lack of knowledge and awareness among consumers, but after visiting the UK, I felt that one of the reasons may be that fair trade products are not attractive and sellable.

In British supermarkets, products with and without certification marks are displayed on the same shelves without distinction, and consumers choose products by comparing brand, quality, price and design. Although some people care about certification marks, it is not a top priority in purchasing decisions, so products with and without certification marks are displayed together. This may be one of the reasons why fair trade products are purchased unconsciously.

After my stay in London, I stayed with a host family in the countryside of Wales. The village had no traffic lights, there were old Roman buildings remaining, and sheep and cows were grazing in the countryside, making it a place rich in nature.

The house where I was staying was a stone house built around 1820-1830, and all the furniture was second-hand. I was exposed to a culture of continuing to use good furniture for generations, and I was reminded of the spirit of reuse that is rooted in Europe. Also, waste disposal is strict in Wales, and each household composts food waste to use in their own vegetable gardens. During my stay of several days, my awareness of recycling naturally increased, and I began to feel a desire to reduce waste.

The view of the farm and mountains from my room was soothing, with sheep grazing every morning, and life in Wales allowed me to experience how humans and the earth coexist and respect each other. I was able to experience the kindness of nature and the people, and it was a few days that made me healthy both physically and mentally.

Through living in both urban and rural areas of the UK, I realized that there is a common thread in both cities: in the city, certification systems are used because producers and companies cannot be seen, while in the countryside, connections with people you can see are valued, and both build relationships of transparency and trust, and are working to create a healthy and sustainable society.

I also want to promote the spread of fair trade products in Japan by selling attractive fair trade products through “Mada Yume no Tsuzuki.”