Fair Trade
The final item of business today is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-01728, in the name of George Adam, on take a step in 2012 for fair trade. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament recognises the Fairtrade campaign, Take a Step in 2012, which launches Fairtrade Fortnight on 27 February 2012; welcomes the campaign, which encourages everyone to take a step toward using fairly traded products; understands that such products support millions of farmers and workers in developing countries; congratulates local authorities, such as Renfrewshire, in achieving fairtrade status, and looks forward to a time when Scotland becomes a fairtrade nation.
17:11
The debate is about something that I got involved in when I was a younger man—the issue has stayed with me—and I wanted to do something for my community and was involved in politics. In the 1980s and early 90s, fair trade was about coffee and wine—in moderation, of course—and we had to go to specialist stores to get fair trade goods.
My introduction to fair trade came through—of all things—sports clothing, which of course was not fair trade because there was an issue about the rights of the people who were manufacturing it. I learned that footballs and sports shoes were being made in sweatshops in the Pacific islands, Pakistan and elsewhere. That opened my eyes and encouraged me to take a step and to make a difference.
The Fairtrade Foundation is asking everyone in Scotland to take a step for Fairtrade fortnight in 2012. It is encouraging everyone to change their lifestyle in order to change the lives of people—particularly farmers and manufacturers—in the developing world. A change in our shopping habits can make a massive difference to individuals’ lives.
Some 19 million glasses of fair trade wine are sold in the United Kingdom every year. The situation has changed since the beginning of the fair trade movement and most major retailers sell fair trade products, but we could do a lot better. In Paisley, a shop called Rainbow Turtle used to be the only place where we could get such products, but now it is one of many. That is a success.
There is always a debate among people in the fair trade movement about whether they should work with the big manufacturers. Does working with the big confectionery manufacturers, for example, mean selling out and working with companies that are part of the problem? I have been having that debate in fair trade circles for quite a while.
However, it is gratifying to see that top brands are making the difference. That is particularly true in the chocolate market: KitKats, Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Buttons—a favourite of mine, maybe because I have not grown up too much—other Cadbury products and Maltesers are all fair trade. Sainsbury’s sells only fair trade bananas, and it sells more than 1,200 a minute—that is 650 million a year.
If we want people to take a step in Fairtrade fortnight, we must ensure that there are lots of different events. During the past few years, a lot has been done for fair trade in Renfrewshire. Way back in the early noughties, in 2003, Paisley became a Fairtrade town. That was during the time of Provost John McDowell, who was a Labour provost. In Renfrewshire there has always been cross-party work to ensure that we can do something. In 2007, when the Scottish National Party-led Administration came in, we ensured that Renfrewshire became a Fairtrade area. We need such political guidance, in addition to our working with organisations including church groups and the young people who are involved. There must be some sort of control and effort so that people can push things forward, as we have done.
During Fairtrade fortnight, various events will take place. One event in which I will not be involved this year is the Fairtrade football tournament. I played in it two years ago and nearly sent a young man to hospital because I am so slow now, so I have decided that it will probably be better for everyone if I no longer play. It was quite difficult for us, but we made it to the quarter finals.
We have organised events with the University of the West of Scotland and other organisations to ensure that people get to know about fair trade and where they can buy the goods. In Renfrewshire, we publish a directory every year: this year’s edition is not even hot off the press—it will be published tomorrow. It contains a list of all the companies and people who sell fair trade products in Renfrewshire. That gives everyone an opportunity to find out about fair trade, and encourages other retailers and companies to take that step.
Public sector procurement has been a problem—it always comes up when we are discussing fair trade down this way. In Renfrewshire, we are trying to go down the route of producing Fairtrade Foundation school uniforms. That seems to be a perfect way to use fair trade cotton; there is a market for the uniforms, it would defeat the fallacy that fair trade goods are always more expensive, and we could deliver those goods to people. However, we have had difficulties with local authority procurement processes. It was good to hear Alex Neil say in the previous debate that the Government has asked for the local economic impact to be taken into account in procurement. It will be interesting to see whether we can do that in the public sector, because it could make a massive difference.
The Fairtrade Foundation is asking us to take just a small step, and it is trying to achieve 1.5 million steps in 2012. There is an opportunity for everyone to register online, so people can do it in their school, their university or their bowling or sports clubs—just about anywhere—to try to make a difference.
Last year the Fairtrade Foundation had a fantastic Fairtrade fortnight that focused on cotton. Even though I was involved, I did not know about the differences in price between fair trade cotton and cotton that is not fair trade. It makes so much difference. The farmers face so much difficulty: the work is labour intensive, and some of the stories that I heard were quite shocking. In Renfrewshire, we have on numerous occasions had people over from farms in Africa and elsewhere to tell people about what we are trying to achieve.
It is extremely important that we are now talking about trying to make Scotland a fair trade nation in 2012. My co-convener of the cross-party group on fair trade, James Kelly, and I must try to make that happen—there is no pressure on us now, James. It is good that we have that opportunity to set ourselves that test. We talk about Scotland being a socially just country, but it is not just about Scotland—it is about everywhere, and our place in the world. That is extremely important.
The various events that we have held in Renfrewshire have been important. We have ensured that fair trade has always been part of those: in a 10km race, for example, fair trade bananas were supplied by the Co-operative Wholesale Society to give the runners as they crossed the finish line. We also had the chance to get sponsorship from a major sports manufacturer, but we knocked it back because we had an issue with the firm’s labour practices.
I could talk about the issue all night, but we do not have all night. If we can all take a small step, no matter how small, we can make a difference not only here in Scotland but in the rest of the world.
17:19
I thank George Adam for raising this issue, which is well worth a debate this evening. In the Parliament, most of us are committed to the living wage—to the idea that people should be able to live on what they are paid for the work that they do. Most of us agree that the statutory minimum wage is not enough to live on. I see fair trade as a logical extension of that. I hope that our concern does not stop at the borders of Scotland, or even at those of the UK or Europe; we should also concern ourselves with people who are further away, and especially with the poorest people in Africa, Asia, South America and elsewhere.
If people in Scotland who make clothes for us should be properly paid, so should be people in Asia who make clothes for us. The reality is that we benefit from that, too. As poorer countries around the world become better off, people there start to afford to buy our products and to travel to visit us. In my lifetime, quite a change has occurred in a number of countries. For example, we used to think of Hong Kong and South Korea as low-wage economies which made quite cheap products, but they have now moved up to become comparable with us.
I like a song that has been sung by a guy called Ian Davison that uses the phrase “the worldwide minimum wage”. That very much appeals to me, although I accept that it is probably a bit optimistic in the short term. However, fair trade is a step in the right direction, which is why I am enthusiastic about it.
As George Adam said, we can remember in our lifetimes some pretty awful fair trade products. I remember when pretty much all that was available was fair trade coffee, and some of it was not exactly great. Now, a wide range of products is available, including tea, coffee, fruit juice, chocolate and wine.
In my constituency office, we try to use as many fair trade products as possible. We also try to use cleaning products that are approved by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, which means that they are not tested on animals. I mention those two aspects because we should commend the Co-op, which I suggest is better than all the other supermarkets, for its wide range of fair trade products and products that are not tested on animals.
I am sure that we will all give examples of good things that are happening in our areas. I understand that 200 young people will go to Glasgow Caledonian University in March to meet representatives from Palestine who will say how much fair trade has helped them.
We often have a problem with the word “charity” and how we use it, and we have mixed reactions to it. We know of great charities—which I am sure we all support—such as Mary’s Meals, Oxfam and Tearfund. However, the negative side is that we do not want people to live on charity in the long term, which is why fair trade is important; it requires paying people what they deserve for the work that they do. We can build on that for a variety of related campaigns—for example, Christian Aid and others are working on countries being able to tax the profits that are made in those countries. Some big international companies do not like to report the profits that they earn in individual countries, but people in my profession and others are pushing for such reporting. The belief is that a lot of underreporting takes place in many countries, so companies do not pay the tax that they should pay poorer countries, just as they do not pay workers there what they deserve.
There is a long way to go, but it is great that we are having the debate. Fair trade is a great first step along the way and I am happy to support the motion.
17:23
It would be a novelty for me to speak in a debate on fair trade and not to mention that Strathaven was the first Fairtrade town. That is it said, even though I no longer represent Strathaven. I now represent East Kilbride, which also has Fairtrade town status.
I thank George Adam and James Kelly for their work on the cross-party group on fair trade and I thank George Adam for his motion on taking a step in 2012 for fair trade. Getting to where we want to end up—where fair trade is the norm at home and overseas—is all about baby steps, moving forward and lots of hard work, so the motion has a good title.
The work of the Scottish Fair Trade Forum has been commended: it should be, because it has done great things. It has been supported across the chamber and by all the Governments that Scotland has had. I picked up the forum’s annual review the other night.
Of course, everyone is talking now about Fairtrade nation status. Through the Fairtrade Foundation, the targets for that status reflect the targets that the forum is considering. I must say that I have some concerns, but I do not want that to be taken badly. Sometimes, setting such targets creates a rush to achieve them, so they are achieved by going de minimis, thinking that the box has been ticked and moving on. I do not think for a minute that that is what the Scottish Fair Trade Forum or anybody in the field is about, but we must guard against it and we must ensure that once we achieve a target we constantly monitor it, to ensure that it does not slip. I will make a couple of comments in that regard. We are looking at local authorities having active groups that work towards Fairtrade zone status—that is a target. That is great and lots of groups have worked towards it over many years. We should not forget that some folk have been doing this stuff for decades, before it became something that many more of us talked about.
We are looking for local authorities to achieve Fairtrade zone status. Local authorities in Scotland almost all declare themselves to be Fairtrade local authorities—I think that 30 out of 32 do so now. That is fine, but I would like us to dig a bit deeper into what that means. For example, it is all very well for a local authority to say, “We serve fair trade food in all our establishments.” However, if part of a local authority’s operation has been hived off to a private enterprise such as a leisure trust, does the local authority always ensure that those companies also serve fair trade food? No, they do not. That is another issue that we must continue to look at.
Procurement is very important; George Adam mentioned procurement of cotton. There is also procurement of many kinds of equipment, including leisure equipment and instruments that are used in the national health service. There is an organisation that looks at how that can be done. I do not believe that we are pushing hard enough on procurement; I do not believe that the United Kingdom Government is doing enough to make the case in Europe. Other countries have done more. For example, in Madrid’s bid for the Olympic games, it stated in its tender documentation that some stuff should be fair trade. It was not just about the coffee and the tea; it was about—I was going to say outfits, but I do not think that sporting guys talk about outfits—kits or strips.
Let us not get carried away too quickly with saying, “Oh, isn’t it wonderful that Scotland is a Fairtrade nation?” Until we really tackle some of the big issues, we will not be a Fairtrade nation. We must tackle those issues so that when we get Fairtrade nation status, we can hold it up to inspection and be proud of it.
17:27
I welcome the opportunity to take part in the debate to celebrate the launch of Fairtrade fortnight. I congratulate George Adam, my fellow co-convener of the cross-party group on fair trade, on securing the debate.
This is an excellent way to start the Fairtrade fortnight and to launch the debate in the Parliament. It is a tremendous platform for the many events that will take place in communities throughout Scotland and that signify the growth in fair trade that other members have spoken about.
As George Adam said, a few years back we struggled to find shops that would sell fair trade products, never mind fair trade products themselves. That has changed, as we can purchase fair trade products in a number of shops in our main streets and our towns. That shows the success of the fair trade movement.
Whether someone is involved in politics, in a community group or in fair trade, the test is whether what they are involved in makes a difference. Fair trade is an excellent example of such work making a difference. It helps 7.5 million people throughout the world, many of whom come from vulnerable and poor communities. Fair trade helps give those people at least a contribution towards a decent living. I take John Mason’s point about whether it is sizeable enough, but it is certainly a step in the right direction. Fair trade also lays the basis for some proper education. It allows people to operate in structures, which means that they can produce their goods to sell on and it gives them a sustainable solution for the future.
I am lucky in my constituency in that there have been active fair trade groups in Rutherglen and Cambuslang for a number of years, and they have achieved Fairtrade status. That has been down to the active chairmanship of Kieran Dinwoodie followed by John Sanderson.
George Adam said that it is important to have politicians in the group. There is certainly an appropriate place for them, but the test of a successful fair trade group is its breadth of community involvement. We certainly have that in Rutherglen and Cambuslang, as schools such as Trinity high school and Cathkin high school, St Bride’s church and Stonelaw church, and a breadth of younger and older people are involved. The zest of younger people and the experience of the older heads in the group have really driven things forward, and they have not stopped at Fairtrade status for Rutherglen and Cambuslang. I am glad that they have joined other communities throughout South Lanarkshire to try to secure Fairtrade zone status.
It also strikes me that there is an education aspect, particularly for the younger people who are involved in fair trade groups. They become aware of good practices as citizens and learn a lot about what it means to make a difference in a fair trade group. They take forward what they have learned to college, university or employment. We look for young people to make positive contributions in 21st century Scotland, and what young people learn in fair trade groups gives them a positive leaning towards making such contributions.
To sum up, the debate is an excellent opportunity to support Fairtrade fortnight. I am sure that we will see tremendous events throughout Scotland over that period.
17:31
I congratulate my colleague George Adam on securing the debate and declare an interest as a member of Aberdeen City Council. During my time on that council, I have served on its fair trade working group.
The North East Scotland region, which I represent, has a strong story to tell about fair trade. Both its major cities—Aberdeen and Dundee—have achieved Fairtrade city status, and Ellon, Huntly, Inverurie and Montrose are towns in the north-east that have achieved Fairtrade town status. The University of Dundee and the University of Aberdeen have achieved Fairtrade university status, and a number of schools have achieved Fairtrade status, including Ellon academy, Montrose academy and some primary schools. There is a strong story to be told in the north-east about fair trade, and I welcome the work that has been done in those and other communities to try to advance the fair trade agenda.
We often talk about Fairtrade cities and towns, but there can also be Fairtrade zones. I have visited Formartine, which encompasses the villages of Pitmedden, Tarves and Methlick. There, I visited the Fairtrade shop in Tarves. There is a lot of talk about clothing, food, wine, coffee and tea Fairtrade products, but I managed to purchase from that shop Fairtrade wrapping paper at Christmas time in which to wrap Christmas presents. A plethora of goods with the Fairtrade logo attached is now available. Although certain products may be more popularly associated with fair trade, it is important that we make people aware of how many different items they can now buy through the Fairtrade campaign.
Individuals are working locally to drive campaigns. After I visited the Fairtrade shop in Formartine, I went to the home of Anne Aspden, who is a constituent of mine. She opens up her farmhouse in the village of Pitmedden once a year to sell Fairtrade products and provide fair trade baking, for example, to members of the public who want to go in for a while. The money that is raised goes towards good causes, which is commendable. We should recognise not only the efforts of collectives, but those of passionate individuals, who are often the driving force behind fair trade movements in particular areas. They deserve to be commended for their work.
A number of events will take place to mark Fairtrade fortnight. Some individuals from Malawi are coming to the north-east. Mr Masauko Khembo—to whom I apologise profusely for probably having butchered the pronunciation of his name—who is the chief executive of the Kasinthula cane growers will be giving a talk in Stonehaven on 6 March. I will not be able to make it, but I encourage anyone in the area who is able to go along to do so and listen to the story that Mr Khembo has to tell about how fair trade affects him and other farmers in the third world. On 1 March, a Fairtrade producer from Malawi will visit Arbroath high school to give a presentation to secondary school pupils.
Fairtrade schools are vital, because young people are often the driving force in this area, and school campaigns often lead to parents and other relatives getting involved in the Fairtrade movement. It is important to take outreach work into the schools.
It is great that we are having this debate. A lot is being done in Scotland. Obviously, there is more to be done, and let us hope that we can take the steps that are necessary to join our Celtic cousin, Wales, in becoming a Fairtrade nation.
17:36
I, too, congratulate George Adam on securing this debate on the Fairtrade campaign, take a step in 2012, which launches Fairtrade fortnight.
I declare an interest as a stallholder at the Ayrshire farmers market, and refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests.
Fair trade is one of those concepts whose time has truly come, in Renfrewshire and elsewhere. It is one that is national and international in its delivery, supporting third-world producers and providing retail outlets for them.
Before I go any further, I should say that Annabel Goldie told me to say that she is sorry not to be able to speak in this debate as she has a prior commitment in Glasgow. However, she supports the motion and has a particular interest in fair trade, as her home village of Bishopton apparently was the first village in Renfrewshire to achieve Fairtrade village status, which it did in 2007. Miss Goldie feels that bringing fair trade down to that local, community level helped to educate people and heighten awareness.
Fairtrade is growing into a universally recognised brand, and nowhere more so than in Ayrshire, in my constituency, where a Fairtrade partnership was set up in 2004. Indeed, Ayr was awarded Fairtrade town status on 26 February 2007, almost five years ago today. This debate could in effect be regarded as celebrating the fifth anniversary of that status.
I want to pay tribute to the many volunteers, representing all aspects of our community, who support fair trade in Ayr and Ayrshire. James Kelly also referred to volunteers. A large number of organisations are involved, including South Ayrshire Council, our churches, our community organisations and many local businesses, including retailers and caterers.
It is particularly important that our schools play a significant role in supporting fair trade. The time, effort and money that is given by our school children in selfless support of people in developing countries, who are less well-off than ourselves, is an excellent introduction to volunteering and charitable giving, and is very much part of the educational awareness raising.
The Ayrshire farmers market, with which I have been so much involved, offers our Fairtrade friends a stall, which gives the local farming community the opportunity to support in a modest way disadvantaged farmers and food producers elsewhere in the world. They have been loyal stallholders at our markets for many years.
One of the real benefits of the Fairtrade movement, quite apart from the provision of retail outlets for fairly traded products, is the binding together of various parts of local communities into the common cause of physically supporting disadvantaged communities in foreign lands. The consensual support that is evident in the Parliament tonight demonstrates that politicians of all parties, churches of all faiths and businesses that normally compete with each other can and do unite in support of a demonstrably good cause. That unity of purpose and expression of support is what makes this celebration today important.
I commend the motion, and congratulate George Adam on bringing it to the chamber.
17:40
I, too, congratulate George Adam on securing the debate. I am delighted to join him and other members in supporting the motion and welcoming the take a step in 2012 campaign, which is launching Fairtrade fortnight. I am delighted, too, that our Scottish National Party Government is supporting Fairtrade fortnight. I extend a warm welcome to the visitors from Ghana, Nicaragua, Uganda, Palestine, India, Malawi and Kenya who are visiting Scotland for the fortnight. As others have said, it is surely only a matter of time before Scotland will cement our solidarity with those countries by achieving the status of Fairtrade nation.
In my own South Scotland region there is a special reason to celebrate Fairtrade fortnight, because just last week Dumfries became the most recent Fairtrade town, joining Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbright, Dunscore and Wigtown, which have already achieved that status. The status represents many years of effort by the Dumfries fair trade group, which was formed five years ago and has been working towards achieving the status for quite some time.
There will be a special celebration in the former Bakers Oven in the High Street on Saturday with a fair trade cake. On Sunday, there will be a celebration service at St John’s Church. That is particularly fitting because the churches have been some of the strongest supporters of the campaign to make Dumfries a Fairtrade town. It is a first-class example of ecumenical activity that has brought together members of the Church of Scotland, the Roman Catholic Church, the Quakers, the Episcopalians, the Baptists and the United Reformed Church, which together make up the majority of Christian worshippers in Dumfries
As well as churches, schools have played an important part—others have mentioned them, too—in helping Dumfries to achieve the status of a Fairtrade town. I do not think that it is a great surprise that so many people have cited the influence of schools in the fair trade movement, because I think that children have an acute understanding of fairness and what it means. Children in particular understand that it is wrong that the small pleasures that we enjoy can cause pain and suffering to others thousands of miles away.
I want to cite one example of that, as we approach Easter, which is chocolate. Children enjoy chocolate, as do many adults, including me—probably too much—but how many of us know that, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund, 200,000 children are victims of child trafficking each year in west and central Africa, where most of the world’s cocoa is produced? We often talk about chocolate being a guilty pleasure, but I am afraid that in this case that is particularly true.
There has been progress, thanks to the fair trade movement. In particular, the Kuapa Kokoo farmers co-operative in Ghana, which was established when the internal marketing of cocoa in that country was liberalised in 1993, has made an enormous difference to the lives of people living in cocoa-producing communities. The co-operative works towards improving the social, economic and political wellbeing of members and communities. It has built several schools and has provided sanitation and clean water pumps, which have made a huge difference. Members will be pleased to know that they can support the co-operative by buying Divine chocolate, which is on sale in the Parliament—so they need to feel guilty only about the calories in the chocolate and not about making people suffer as a result of buying it.
To return to the case of Dumfries and Galloway, one thing that has been very apparent is that fair trade is not just a moral choice, because it can also be good for businesses. In particular, we have noticed that that is the case for the tourism community. For example, bed and breakfast businesses have reported that they get extra bookings if they can offer visitors Fairtrade tea and coffee and other products. As well as being a moral choice, fair trade makes good business sense.
Again, I congratulate George Adam on lodging the motion, and I look forward to an announcement in the near future about Scotland achieving Fairtrade nation status.
17:44
Like colleagues, I congratulate George Adam on securing this important debate. We have heard this evening about the importance of fair trade in helping to make the world a fairer place and about Scotland’s ambition to become a Fairtrade nation. We can all unite across the chamber to champion that cause.
Scotland’s commitment to fair trade is central to the values of our society, which is committed to tackling and eradicating poverty at home and abroad. The movement is a way in which individuals can directly bring real benefits to people living in poverty in developing countries.
Alongside the Scottish Parliament and organisations such as the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund, Oxfam and Christian Aid, we are all campaigning for Scotland to become a Fairtrade nation. As a nation, we have an opportunity to unite in supporting efforts to ensure fair trading practices that will be of benefit to the developing world and that will make a real difference to the lives of the people who live there, as James Kelly said.
Many respected organisations in Scotland have joined together in the push for fair trade, creating the Scottish Fair Trade Forum. I welcome the Scottish Government’s support for the forum, which has seen its funding double between 2010-11 and 2011-12. I pay tribute to John McAllion, a former member of the Scottish Parliament, who will stand down as the chair of the forum later this year.
Fair trade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. According to the definition set out by the Fairtrade Foundation,
“Fair trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalised producers and workers”.
I think that we would all support that.
Requiring companies to pay sustainable prices, which must never fall lower than the market price, fair trade helps to address the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest and weakest producers. Fair trade enables them to improve their position and to have more control over their lives.
According to the OECD Journal on Development, economic growth through trade is potentially the single most powerful tool for eradicating poverty. Even small increases in trade could result in billions of extra pounds for developing countries. However, as they stand currently, many international trade rules are still considered unfair. For example, according to SCIAF, there are still too many deals that protect big companies at the expense of small farmers or that force unstable and newly emerging economies in developing countries to open their markets to European products more quickly than they should. It is that which perpetuates poverty on a larger scale and it is fair trade that has the capacity to challenge the unfairness at the heart of the global trading system.
It is self-evident that a widespread change to fair trade standards will help to eradicate poverty. It will also aid our efforts to stop child and adult trafficking—something that Joan McAlpine talked about when she spoke of child trafficking in cocoa industry areas. If the developed world buys cheap cocoa and cotton, for example, and turns them into expensive chocolate and clothes, it is the poor in countries such as Ghana and the Ivory Coast who ultimately suffer and are forced into a cycle of hazardous and unfair farming practices. By supporting Fairtrade-certified producers and distributors, we are aiding a global cause that has the potential to make significant changes in trade and improve the lives of farmers and producers in the developing world.
Pursuing Fairtrade status for Scotland will lead to consumer benefit both at home and abroad; the creation of educational opportunities; environmental protection through the reduced use of pesticides; better medical care and increased standards of living in rural villages; and new methods of clean water access. We should embrace fair trade as a means of tackling those issues and we should all look forward to the day when Scotland can take its place as a Fairtrade nation.
17:49
I echo the sentiments that have been expressed in the chamber and thank George Adam, the cross-party group on fair trade and its co-convener, James Kelly, for their involvement in the debate. I also thank George Adam for securing the debate. I add my congratulations to local authorities such as Renfrewshire Council and West Lothian Council on achieving Fairtrade status, and I congratulate Ayr on the fifth anniversary of its achieving Fairtrade status, which John Scott referred to.
This promises to be an exciting year for fair trade, as Scotland aims to become a Fairtrade nation in 2012. The criteria that describe the steps that we need to take to achieve that were jointly developed between the Scottish and Welsh Administrations. Wales announced itself as the world’s first Fairtrade nation in 2008, and Scotland will soon follow.
For us to meet the criteria, 55 per cent of local authorities need to become Fairtrade zones; 100 per cent of cities should have Fairtrade status; and 55 per cent of towns and 60 per cent of higher education institutions need to have active groups working towards achieving that status. However, I will reflect on the point that Linda Fabiani made. She is right to give a word of caution that we should challenge, inspect and drive forward what we mean, in qualitative terms, by the fair trade agenda.
All six of Scotland’s cities are already Fairtrade cities, and 65 per cent of higher education institutions have now achieved Fairtrade status or are working towards achieving it. The Scottish Fair Trade Forum has been working hard to achieve the remaining unmet Fairtrade nation criteria, particularly by increasing the number of Fairtrade towns.
There are 61 towns in Scotland that have either achieved Fairtrade status or an active fair trade steering group. A further nine towns are expected to launch their fair trade steering groups during Fairtrade fortnight. That would leave Scotland requiring 22 more towns to establish an active group and get involved in the campaign for us to meet the criteria.
Within my constituency, Bathgate, Linlithgow and Whitburn have all achieved Fairtrade town status, which is a credit to the hard work of the local steering groups. It has also been an honour to support schools such as Boghall primary, Bathgate academy and Linlithgow academy in their efforts. The relocated Fair Tradewinds shop in Linlithgow is also successful.
It was important that we heard from members such as James Kelly, who reflected on the impact of local campaigns in his constituency.
I confirm that all 32 local authorities in Scotland are involved in the campaign, with West Lothian Council the most recent to become a Fairtrade zone. In total, 14 local authorities have achieved Fairtrade status and only four more are required to do so to meet the criteria.
An assessment panel will meet in the autumn to review our evidence and judge whether Scotland has achieved enough to become a Fairtrade nation. I am confident that we will have done so, but we have to strive to go beyond that. Therefore, we must turn our minds to what lies beyond Fairtrade nation status, as I think Linda Fabiani was challenging us to do.
I thank the staff and volunteers of the Scottish Fair Trade Forum for their hard work and dedication in getting us to this point. I look forward to participating in a number of events during Fairtrade fortnight. I will attend a fair trade celebration in Linlithgow and speak at an event at the University of Edinburgh organised by the Scottish Fair Trade Forum. However, we should not forget that promoting fair trade is a year-round challenge, not only the work of a fortnight.
Evidence suggests that fair trade sales are holding up, despite the recession. In 2010, sales of fair trade products soared by 40 per cent to an estimated retail value of £1.17 billion, and the Fairtrade Foundation is expected to reveal another increase in sales.
However, in this tougher economic environment, it is important that all of us, as consumers, think carefully about how we spend our money and do so responsibly. That is equally true for the public sector. George Adam and Linda Fabiani raised that issue. Many people feel that more can be done to support fair trade through public sector procurement. The Scottish Government will introduce a sustainable procurement bill in this session of Parliament to maximise the economic impact of the £9 billion annual procurement spend and to ensure that public procurement in Scotland delivers environmentally sustainable, socially responsible and innovative goods, services and works.
Scotland has always been an outward-looking, innovative and caring nation. As George Adam said, it is not good enough to be socially just at home; we need to be socially just abroad as well. The global fight against poverty and inequality is no different, and Scots are active in that fight at home and overseas. The Scottish Government’s international development policy demonstrates our commitment to supporting countries in the developing world, such as Malawi.
I was pleased to hear from Mark McDonald about the visits from Malawi to the north-east of Scotland. I am incredibly proud of the unique and special relationship between Scotland and Malawi. An example of that is the Scotland-Malawi trade project, which was funded by the Scottish Government to create links between Malawian producers and Scottish buyers. Strong partnerships such as that ensure that local people are part of the decision-making process and are creating and shaping their own future.
The fair trade movement in Scotland is another good example. Earlier today, I was delighted to meet pupils from Selkirk high school who have shown leadership in supporting and promoting fair trade in their local community. The pupils all participated in their school’s Fairtrade cotton t-shirt and poster design competitions. I was delighted to judge the t-shirt competition and select the winning design, and I congratulate the winners, Harry Murphy and Jo Marr.
James Kelly and Mark McDonald were quite right to identify the impact of education on the leadership role within the fair trade movement. The local steering group in Selkirk has also ensured that that town is the latest in Scotland to achieve Fairtrade town status. Joan McAlpine might want to reflect on whether Dumfries and Selkirk will be cheering at the same time, as she said that Dumfries is about to celebrate becoming the latest Fairtrade town as well.
George Adam referred to cotton. An example of an innovative approach to supporting fair trade in Scotland is the Fairtrade cotton schoolwear campaign. The campaign, which began in November 2009, seeks to improve the slow rate of growth of the Fairtrade cotton industry and to respond to the huge demand from schools to be involved in and to embrace fair trade. The campaign aims to raise awareness of fair trade, help schools to switch, encourage shops to stock Fairtrade cotton products, and help to combat many unacceptable problems in the cotton industry, such as child labour.
In becoming a Fairtrade nation, Scotland is demonstrating that we are delivering real and lasting impacts, contributing to reducing poverty and improving the lives of the people whom we seek to support as well as helping them to access their rights. I am talking about our duty and our social responsibility. We can do that at home and, once we have achieved Fairtrade nation status, we will continue the campaign to influence people abroad.
Meeting closed at 17:57.