Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to encourage businesses throughout the UK to purchase Fairtrade products.

The UK government is a strong supporter of the Fairtrade movement, which plays an important role in helping producers around the world improve their lives through receiving fair prices for their products. Between 2010 and 2018, the Department for International Development invested over £20.2m into Fairtrade.

DFID has funded the development of Fairtrace, a technology-based supply chain mapping tool which has helped Fairtrade to broaden their commercial customer base. The tool has been used by major UK businesses such as The Co-op and Ben & Jerry’s. In 2017, Fairtrace helped 7 major brands to map their supply chains; illustrating journeys from over 191 producer groups in over 23 countries.

The UK government will continue to champion this agenda as part of our commitment to improving the lives of smallholder farmers and to a free, fair and transparent trade system that helps lifts developing countries out of poverty.