Sustainable Business

buy-in you get a large group of consumers that become aware of it and who then become educated about the issues," Pinto says. And, the scalability that major companies can bring to these movements means that with their vast supply chains they can "leverage and amplify" the message. "As the message grows the consumer expects to know where their food comes from, to have that sense of traceability and have that sense of social ethos," she says. Pinto's comments coincided with Fairtrade Fortnight (24th February – 9th March), which this year focused on the banana industry. In an attempt to raise Government awareness, Ben & Jerry's, along with Columbian banana farmer Albeiro Alfonso "Foncho" Cantillo, recently visited Parliament to ask the secretary of state for business, innovation and skill (BIS) MP Vince Cable to urgently investigate the pricing tactics of UK retailers on bananas. In this issue of SB, Fairtrade pioneer Green & Black's co-founder Jo Fairley offers more insight into the power of multinationals in advancing Fairtrade. Leading businesses with a combined turnover of nearly £200 billion have warned that climate change is projected to make UK flooding more frequent. In a recent letter to the Financial Times, businesses, including Kingfisher, Anglian Water and Lloyds Banking Group, called for prompt political action to address the causes of climate change. Recognising the critical importance of flood prevention, the businesses have called on politicians from all parties to "demonstrate bold leadership to address the root causes of increasing extreme weather events". According to the letter, recent unstable weather patterns in the UK are in line with the projections of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, adding that merely adapting to the growing threat of floods will leave the UK exposed to future costs. In addition to risk prevention, the businesses say that a clear commitment to tackling climate change will bring economic benefits to the UK. "It will maximise investment and innovation to deliver resilience and future economic competitiveness," they said in a joint statement. Andrew Raingold, executive director of the Aldersgate Group, which coordinated the letter, said: "These floods were caused by the worst winter downpour in 250 years and the clean up bill is already on course to cost £1billion. "But adapting to the changing climate without addressing the root causes is like dishing out painkillers when we need major surgery. Political parties must come together to show leadership beyond the parliamentary cycle." Kingfisher group head of government affairs Nick Lakin said: "Climate change poses a threat to businesses and communities alike. The floods we have seen are a foretaste of what we Radar 2/6 Click here keep up-to-date with the latest news from edie.net Business Businesses call on MPs to address 'root cause' of climate change

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