Press Release 9th February 2024

REWE Group trading companies are strong FAIRTRADE partners in Austria: 100 percent fair for cocoa and cane sugar

Since the beginning of the year, REWE Group trading companies have successfully switched completely to FAIRTRADE cocoa for all own-brand chocolate products. A unique selling point throughout Austria and a success from over 20 years of cooperation for sustainable changes in retail and better living and working conditions for producers.

Three people in a store holding Fair Trade products, with the middle person holding a sign that reads, "FAIRBRUARY: Februar. Einfach fair leben." They stand in front of shelves stocked with various products.

f.l.t.r. Robert Nagele (BILLA Board Member for Real Estate and Sustainability), Marie-Therese Brugger (BILLA Sales Manager), Hartwig Kirner (Managing Director of FAIRTRADE Austria) / Copyright: © REWE International AG/Robert Harson

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At a glance

The full switch to FAIRTRADE was successful at the start of 2024: The cocoa in REWE's own-brand chocolate products, such as clever, BILLA, BILLA Bio and Ja! Natürlich, for example, is now 100% FAIRTRADE-certified. The changeover for baked goods and sweet pastries is already planned.
REWE Group is the strongest FAIRTRADE partner in Austria and the market leader in the sale of FAIRTRADE-certified cocoa and own-brand chocolate products.
There are currently 900 FAIRTRADE products, including over 120 own-brand products across the entire range, on the shelves of the REWE Group retail chains BILLA, BILLA PLUS, PENNY and ADEG.

REWE Group, with its trading companies BILLA, BILLA PLUS, PENNY and ADEG, is Austria's first food retailer to rely 100 percent on FAIRTRADE cocoa and cane sugar for all its own brands. This is the result of years of focusing on a resource-conserving product range and offering fairly produced products. Thanks to FAIRTRADE and other certifications, consumers can rest assured that all own-brand products, such as clever, BILLA, BILLA Bio and Ja! Natürlich, for example, consumers can be sure that strict requirements regarding social justice and sustainable supply chains are met. "We have been working closely with FAIRTRADE for more than two decades to improve the living and working conditions of producers. The full switch to FAIRTRADE for our own-brand chocolate products is an important step on our path to greater sustainability and responsibility in retail. We are proud to be a pioneer in this development and look forward to continuing to implement innovative measures for a sustainable and, above all, fair future," says Robert Nagele, Chief Real Estate and Sustainability Officer, about the importance of this long-term partnership.

One of the largest FAIRTRADE product ranges in Austria at BILLA, BILLA PLUS, PENNY and ADEG

Since 2020, REWE Group in Austria has been continuously converting all its chocolate tablets and chocolate bars, pralines, instant cocoa and nut nougat spreads of its own brands to the FAIRTRADE cocoa program. Across all product categories, 128 own-brand products - from Ja! Natürlich, clever and BILLA through to PENNY's own brands - already have a FAIRTRADE seal, with products ranging from pineapple chunks to sugar. PENNY customers can already find more than 40 FAIRTRADE items in the store - from chocolate items, confectionery and raisins to FAIRTRADE organic bananas from Echt! Organic.

Following the full conversion of chocolate products, baked goods and confectionery are to follow in the next step. Hartwig Kirner, Managing Director of FAIRTRADE Austria: "The numerous FAIRTRADE chocolate products in BILLA's own-brand range are an important step towards improving the living conditions of cocoa farming families. Transparent supply chains and fair trading practices ensure that the farmers' cooperatives receive a better price for their work." BILLA, BILLA PLUS, PENNY and ADEG offer a total of 900 products that have been awarded the FAIRTRADE seal or the FAIRTRADE raw material seal.