The Fairtrade label is becoming a common sight in cafes, supermarkets and even clothing stores, and is finally catching on with Australian shoppers.

A survey conducted for Fairtrade International by research consultancy GlobeScan found that 44% of Aussie shoppers recognised the Fairtrade label, up from 28% in 2009 and 37% in 2010.

The survey, which spans across 24 countries and 17,000 consumers, also found that the label is the ‘most widely recognised ethical label globally’, with nearly 60% of respondents having seen the label.

66% of local shoppers say that they trust the label and the products’ ethical origins.

93% of Australians also believe that companies that deal with farmers and workers in poor countries should pay them fairly, while 83% have high expectations of companies to the role they play in reducing poverty through the way they do business.

More than half feel that buying products with the Fairtrade label empowers them to make a difference, and 81% believe independent, third-party certification is the best way to verify a product’s social and environmental claims.

Fairtrade A/NZ CEO Stephen Knapp believes the survey shows that Aussie consumers, like the majority of their global counterparts, “really do care about where the products they buy every day come from and that the farmers and workers at the end of the supply chain are getting a fair deal for their hard work.”

Australian consumers, along with their global counterparts, are backing their beliefs with concrete action. Globally, shoppers spent 4.36 billion pounds (AUD6.95 billion) on Fairtrade products in 2010 (an increase of 28%), while Australian and New Zealand consumers combined tripled their Fairtrade purchases by more than 200 per cent to over $120 million in the same year.