Launching to coincide with Fairtrade Fortnight, Scottish Fair Trade has developed a new resource: Fair Trade in Scottish Public Procurement: Practical Guidance for Procurement Officers. The guidance aims to highlight practical actions that procurement officers can take to promote fair and ethical supply chains across the public sector.
Local Councils Making a Global Impact
Last year’s Fairtrade Fortnight campaign asked us to look more closely at the tea we drink every day. Through the “Brew it Fair” campaign, the Fairtrade Foundation highlighted the challenges and injustices faced by tea farmers, and encouraged conversations about how businesses, governments and consumers can support fairer trading relationships.
In Scotland, those discussions have increasingly focused on the role public procurement can play in supporting fair and ethical supply chains. At a time when many organisations are rightly focused on supporting local economies and communities, it is also important to consider the global impacts of public sector purchasing.
Procurement professionals and other local decision-makers have significant influence over supply chains through the choices they make. By considering Fair Trade alongside other policy priorities, contracting authorities can contribute to positive outcomes both locally and internationally.
Getting it Right
We know that procurement rules can be complex, so we wanted to provide procurement practitioners with greater clarity on how they can support Fair Trade. We sought to answer questions like: How can Fair Trade be considered within existing procurement rules? What does good practice look like in practice? What opportunities exist when purchasing through frameworks? And how can organisations support fair and ethical outcomes in a way that is proportionate and defensible?
To help answer those questions, Scottish Fair Trade has developed a new resource: Fair Trade in Scottish Public Procurement: Practical Guidance for Procurement Officers.
This practical guide helps Scottish procurement officers incorporate Fair Trade into public procurement in a clear, compliant and effective way.
Developed with input from Scottish Government and procurement practitioners, the guidance is designed to help contracting authorities understand where Fair Trade fits within Scotland’s wider procurement landscape and identify practical actions that can be taken through existing procurement routes.
Connecting the Dots and Keeping it Simple
Importantly, the guidance is not about requiring specific products, brands or labels. Instead, it focuses on outcomes. It highlights how Fair Trade can be used as a recognised way of evidencing fair and ethical trading practices and worker protections, while remaining aligned with procurement legislation and established procurement principles.
The guidance also shows how Fair Trade can support wider priorities that many public bodies are already working to deliver, including the Sustainable Procurement Duty, Good Food Nation and Community Wealth Building.
One of the key themes running throughout the guidance is that getting started does not need to be complicated. Many organisations may choose to begin by looking at commonly purchased products where Fair Trade options are already widely available, such as tea, coffee, cocoa, sugar and bananas. Others may focus on supplier engagement, reporting, or reviewing existing contract arrangements. The important thing is recognising that opportunities already exist within current procurement processes.
As we mark Fairtrade Fortnight 2026, we hope this guidance gives procurement teams greater confidence to explore those opportunities. As Scotland continues its journey as a Fair Trade Nation, public procurement represents one of the most practical ways for public bodies to turn that commitment into action. While procurement alone cannot solve the challenges facing global supply chains, contracting authorities can use their purchasing power to support fair and ethical trading practices while delivering wider social, environmental and economic benefits.
Contact us to find out more about how your organisation can support fair and ethical outcomes through procurement: info@scottishfairtrade.org, or head to the Public Sector page of our website to learn more about the work we do to support the public sector.
If you are a campaginer interested in getting behind this initiative, check out our Procure with Purpose campaign, with practical steps you can take as an individual or together with your community to get your local council to take action.
