On 18 June, the Ethical Trade Forums participated in the international webinar organized by the European SafeHabitus project entitled “Migrant agricultural workers and ethical trade in Europe: responsible purchasing practices, due diligence, and consumer awareness”.
The webinar brought together representatives from social organizations, academic institutions and ethical trade initiatives to discuss migrant agricultural workers’ conditions in Europe, responsible purchasing practices, due diligence requirements and the role of consumers in promoting more sustainable supply chains. Speakers included David Meredith (SafeHabitus Project Coordinator at Teagasc), Carlos Ruiz (Oxfam Intermón), Hilary Murdoch (Ethical Trading Initiative, ETI), and Fernando Cárdenas (Comillas Pontifical University), who shared different perspectives on the social and ethical challenges facing agri-food supply chains across Europe.
The Ethical Trade Forums were represented by the Secretary General of the Association, Sergio Barberá, who delivered the closing presentation of the event, “Ten years of Ethical Trade Forums in Spain: impacts and lessons learned”. His presentation focused on the main achievements and lessons learned during the ten-year journey of the Forums.
During his intervention, Barberá highlighted some of the key lessons learned over the past decade, including the importance of taking a step-by-step approach, fostering inspiring leadership and promoting collaboration as a way to build lasting solutions to the sector’s social challenges.
He also highlighted the results achieved through the working groups and collaborative projects promoted by the Forums, such as App Foros, which provides information on labor rights and obligations, and Canal Foros, a sector-specific tool designed to strengthen the internal management of grievances and complaints within companies.
The presentation also addressed key issues such as worker motivation, as well as the need to incorporate ethical criteria into business and purchasing decisions. As a future course of action, Barberá announced a 2027 initiative to share the best practices discussed in the Forums with the purchasing departments of the sector’s main clients.
Participation in this webinar made it possible to apply the Spanish experience to a European context and strengthen the exchange of knowledge and best practices to continue moving toward more responsible, sustainable, and people-centered agricultural supply chains.