Hansard

This time of global conflict reminds me how interconnected our lives are. The fallout of what happens in Ukraine will not only affect geopolitical matters but will lead to difficulties in food supply and security. Ukraine is one of the world’s biggest exporters of grain. Tectonic plates have shifted politically and economically in the weeks since the invasion. How the world works together, not only at a time of conflict but in one of climate change and drought, will have an impact on us all.

Today’s motion says that the fair trade pledge is there

“to ensure better prices, safe working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers”

and that the Parliament

“understands that the pledge also includes the selling and buying of Fairtrade products, from coffee and tea to flowers and gold, and encouraging consumers to look for the Fairtrade mark”.

Many of the products that we buy and use every day are grown or produced by people who are not paid a fair price for their work or produce over a long period of time. Workers and farmers with smallholdings often work in poor or dangerous conditions and are denied fair access to markets. Fairtrade ensures that workers and small farmers are paid a fair price and campaigns for those producers to have the opportunity to participate in global markets without exploitation.

One of the successes of fair trade has been the building of a partnership between consumers and producers. Many of the staple goods that we find in our homes come from producers who were not previously paid fair prices for their work or products. That perpetuated a cycle of poverty and denied many families a dignified life.

As MSPs, we all have a role in our own constituencies and in Scotland as a fair trade nation. Prior to the election last May, every one of us was asked to sign the fair trade pledge, which stated:

“If I am elected to the next Parliament, I will take actions to promote Scotland’s fair trade nation status, listen to the voices of producers in global supply chains, support actions to build back a fairer economy and tackle the climate emergency. I also support measures to increase the public procurement of fair trade products.”

Colin Smyth mentioned that. It is something that we need to work with our councils on.

What can we do practically? We can join our local fair trade groups. I am part of a fair trade group in Dunbar, which is going really well, and there are a few others in East Lothian. Fair trade groups are at the heart of the fair trade movement. They organise, activate and lobby to raise awareness of the need for fair trade and to bring about change at all levels. There are groups in communities, schools, colleges, universities, faith groups and, of course, workplaces. Many workplaces have worked towards achieving Fairtrade status from the Fairtrade Foundation. Collectively, those groups make Scotland a fair trade nation and contribute to the international Fairtrade towns movement.

We can also encourage our schools to teach fair trade. The Fairtrade Foundation’s Fairtrade school awards take schools and nurseries on a journey from awareness of fair trade through to embedding it in the life of the school or nursery and the local community. Going for the award offers a great opportunity to consider global issues from a fair trade perspective. Teaching about fair trade fits within the curriculum and it can support pupils to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes that are needed in our interconnected world.

We can also encourage businesses in our constituencies to support fair trade and to buy and sell Fairtrade products. Ethical consumption is on the rise in the UK, and consumers expect businesses to be taking more action than ever before to make their supply chains transparent, equitable and environmentally friendly. What was once a unique selling point is now industry standard. It is one of the greatest successes of the ethical consumer movement. Investing in fair trade can help businesses to effortlessly signal a commitment to more sustainable, more responsible and fairer standards of production. Fairtrade products fulfil the ethical commitments to fairer wages, improved working conditions, community investment and environmentalism.

I thank Clare Adamson for lodging her motion. Let us do what we can to support fair trade in our localities and in Scotland.