Although Cadbury started to ship Dairy Milk chocolate bars to Australia in March with the Fairtrade label, the chocolate maker said it has no plans for a 'green' marketing campaign, reports The Sydney Morning Herald. The reason: Australian consumers are about five to ten years behind Britain and Europe in understanding environmental and ethical certification.
Daniel Ellis, corporate affairs chief, told the newspaper that the company doesn't have plans to tout its new certification in Australia because it could open the door to accusations of 'green' washing because Australians are not well informed about environmental accreditation.
Cadbury received Fairtrade accreditation in Australia in response to pressure from consumers and lobby groups, reports HeraldNet.
Paul Allen, the general manager of marketing for Australian Paper, speaking at the Green Brands Forum, said there was a demand for accreditation that people recognized and understood.
According to Ellis, 75 percent of British consumers recognized the Fairtrade label and knows what it stands for versus 30 percent of Australian consumers.
Cadbury achieved Fairtrade certification for Cadbury Dairy Milk last year for the British and Irish markets.
Cadbury's products also have the Carbon Footprint label in Britain, which shows how much carbon per 100 grams each product produces over its life cycle.
Nearly three-quarters of UK shoppers agree with government plans to move forward with a voluntary carbon footprint label on food items, according to a new survey released by Newcastle Business School at Northumbria University.