One in five British shoppers punish companies they believe are socially irresponsible, a new survey has found. 

Almost a third of respondents to the survey, commissioned by the Fairtrade Foundation, said they were likely to reward companies for being socially responsible. 

And more than two thirds of Fairtrade consumers who responded to the survey said they always or often punished companies for not being socially responsible. 

Companies should take note that shoppers were prepared to send a very strong message to them about their global accountability, said marketing director at the Fairtrade Foundation, Cheryl Sloan. "It is very encouraging that UK consumers continue to be very receptive to Fairtrade and show high levels of awareness, familiarity and purchasing." 

The survey was carried online amongst 1,500 out by GlobeScan in January and February this year.

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Focus On Fairtrade (20 February 2010)