To coincide with Fairtrade Fortnight 2024,Tate & Lyle Sugars is celebrating female empowerment in communities that benefit from its Fairtrade partnership, while also highlighting the need for greater gender equality.
Research shows that women in Central American countries, such as Belize where most of the business’ Fairtrade sugar is produced, are typically paid a third less than their male counterparts. Further, less than half of women are part of the workforce – versus, for example, 78 per cent in the UK – and just 52 per cent have access to a bank account.
Tate & Lyle Sugars through its work with Fairtrade is working to address this disparity. Since its relationship with the organisation began in 2008, Tate & Lyle Fairtrade licensed sales in the UK have generated an estimated £32 million in the Fairtrade Premium - an additional sum of money that goes to the Fairtrade Producer Organisations and is democratically decided how to invest, depending on the priorities of farmers.
Key initiatives funded by the brand’s Fairtrade Premium have included a programme focused on female empowerment by The Progressive Sugarcane Producers Association.
This pilot project worked with women across four communities in Belize, where they learned essential skills in financial literacy, economic opportunities, and hands-on training. These women learned to manage their sugarcane revenues, explore small business entrepreneurship, and diversify their income sources.
As a result, these women now have the potential to pursue new business opportunities, improve their farming operations, and build more successful family farming operations. On a day-to-day basis, these opportunities would mean greater control over family income and expenses, increased confidence, and higher recognition for women in the sugarcane industry.
The company also collaborates with Erli Chan, Belize’s only female harvesting leader, who with the support of organisations in the region, is helping to generate more opportunities for women to enter the industry.
Through her leadership, more women are gaining the opportunity to earn their own income and support their families. The Fairtrade Premium means Producers’ associations can reinvest in local community businesses, including in this case, a female owned bakery and a fish farm, helping to boost employment opportunities for women and men alike in Belize.
“We want the people and communities who supply us to continue to thrive – from sugarcane farmers through our whole supply chain. We aim to become the most ethical and sustainable cane sugar refiner in the world,” Julia Clark, director of sugar ethics at Tate & Lyle Sugars, said.
“Gender equality is a topic that’s quite rightly part of conversations around working practices here in the UK, and this is no different in emerging economies around the world. What is different, is that often women in these regions face even greater challenges when it comes to accessing training and opportunities – something we’re using our work with Fairtrade to address.
“This Fairtrade Fortnight, we’re encouraging businesses and consumers alike to be the change and to consider how opting for Fairtrade certified products can create empowering opportunities for women.
“Through Fairtrade, we’re proud to ensure that our products not only taste good, but do good, creating value for female farmers and supporting better livelihoods for women and their families.”
Mollie King at Lark 
