 Fyrieddeg yn fawr i gael i'w anghofu am gweithio'r dweud, iawn i'n ddiwsbeth beirio'r dweud hwnnw, maithlwn wfal wedi cael ei dwybr gan gyflu i ddweud. Mae'r dweud wedi ei ddweud yn dda, wedi eu ddweud o fwy mynd i ddiwyddu. Ddiwydden ni'n mynd i'n dwi'n ddiwyddu, mae'n gweithio'r dweud o'r dweud a dwi'n ddweud o'n ddiwyddu o'r ddweud i'n ddweud o'r dweud i ddweud o fwy ddweud i'r ddweud? It's a privilege to lead tonight's debate, and I want to thank Tony, Michael and Hailey, who are in the gallery this evening from ACS Clothing, for inspiring this debate in circular fashion. I'm also grateful to members across the chamber for supporting my motion and for staying late on this dark winter night instead of rushing home to get their slippers on. Circular fashion is expanding rapidly, offering Scotland opportunities to further strengthen our environmental and social justice credentials, and sitting neatly with our global leadership on net zero and climate justice. I want to start with the problem where addicted to fashion. Across the UK we buy more clothes per person than any other country in Europe, and consumers now buy 60 per cent more garments than they did 15 years ago. Fashion makes up 10 per cent of humanity's carbon emissions, and that's more than aviation and shipping combined. In the UK, a massive 85 per cent of textiles end up in landfill, with average person throwing away 3.1 kilos of textiles each year, and that's enough to fill a small suitcase. The use of chemicals in clothes production raises serious health concerns for workers and consumers, and 35 per cent of microplastics in the world's oceans come from synthetic textiles. At the same time, textile workers, primarily women in developing countries, are often paid to rise their wages and forced to work long hours in appalling conditions that completely disregard human rights. Closer to home than comfortable truths uncovered in the fashion industry in Leicester, we were writing our doorstep just a short time ago. The fact is that 98 per cent of fashion brands do not pay their workers a livable wage, and yet, still, as a society, we blindly consume the products of this labour. Things can't go on as they are, Presiding Officer. We need to completely rethink our relationship with fashion and abandon the current take-make waste model of production and consumption that relies on the exploitation of people on planet. Circular fashion offers the alternative to this broken system, where our clothing and personal belongings come from a more considered model, where the production of an item and the end of its life are equally important. Circularity begins with responsible manufacturing, where clothing is built to last and can be maintained and reused right through to the end of life, where it's then recycled. Circular fashion isn't a new thing. In Scotland, we've been renting and reusing clothing for as long as I can remember, hiring kilts and wedding attires common, and those items are made with durability and re-use in mind. Personally, I've never quite managed to move on from the charity shopping of my student days, and there's something exciting about those pre-loved vintage bargains that I just can't resist. However, if we want to move circular fashion from niche to normal, we need to establish infrastructures that help brands to shift away from the destructive linear model of production that exists and bring consumers into the loop. ACS clothing, which I mentioned earlier, are based out of Holytown in my constituency and Europe's largest circular and sustainable fashion fulfilment hub. I think that's something to be really proud of. Their online platform allows brands to dip their toe into circular fashion without huge outlays, and ACS back-end logistics take care of garment cleaning, rental, repair and resale—a social adjust in carbon neutral operation. ACS clothing received one of the highest B-corp scores in the world, demonstrating that circularity goes hand-in-hand with environmental and social performance. In partnership with the University of West of Scotland, they've developed industry-leading oxygen compression technology that sanitises clothing, making their clothing more clean and pristine than any shop shelf you'll find in the high street. Each manufacturer carefully considers their planet from developing environmentally innovative production processes to employing sustainable cleaning practices. Amazingly, they can even clean PPE, making none thinkable thinkable. ACS, respecting people, goes hand-in-hand with respect to their planet. They've been paying a real living wage for years. They deliver modern and graduate apprenticeships, offer a range of placements and supportive employment opportunities with wraparand care and an SVQ centre in sight. Their diverse range of workers include people with disabilities, refugees and placements through the Scottish Prison Service. Their business benefits people and people benefit their business, rewarding them with loyalty, commitment and hard work. I'm wearing a dress from a higher street today. I'm breathing in a little bit, but one of the many retailers that ACS enables to in the rental market. It looks new, feels new and arrives on my doorstep, so it really couldn't be easier. Reshaping the fashion industry and creating new possibilities is so important, and many fast fashion retailers continue to ramp up production and employ green motion strategies to hide their supply chains from consumers. That won't change until we incentivise and regulate fashion brands and bring them with us on the journey to circularity. Until then, sustainable brands are mopping with the tap on. It's high time reliable to playing field to help sustainable fashion compete against fast fashion for the sake of people on our planet. For example, we already don't pay back in children's clothing, because they are clearly not item stone for life. But what have we thought differently about all our clothing? From a policy perspective, the UK could follow Sweden's lead, where that has been slashed to 0 per cent on repaired and reused items, offsetting the cost of transitioning to circular economy models and encouraging more businesses to enter the market. Alongside the centres, we need tighter regulations and more transparency, including labelling requirements and materials used, the environmental impact of production and the labour practices employed to help consumers to make informed and ethical choices. We are falling behind the rest of the world in missing out on the new set of textile regulations introduced in the EU recently, such as EPR legislation, where the polluter takes responsibility for the products that they put in the market. In the UK, producer responsibility schemes already apply to electrical goods, batteries, vehicles and packaging. In fashion, we could require brands and retailers to collect goods at the range of life or outsource the process to someone else. That concept is exciting not only for waste reduction but creates a whole new manufacturing industry, which is still in its infancy. That creates a massive opportunity for the Scottish economy. The demand for end-of-life recycling centres for the brake items back down into raw materials and bring them back into the circular economy will only increase as we move away from the questionable practice of exporting and recycling to other continents. While regulations can help fund the necessary systems and infrastructure to collect and recirculate, more actions will be needed to avoid products being discarded in the first place. Let's invest in education to both do the connection between brands, communities and supply chains and understand that we can, all together, meet the needs of local people and our environment. Fashion is inherently about community and what we have in common. It's why we embrace the latest trends. Circular fashion harnesses that commonality. It champions the idea of sharing a reuse over ownership and it champions people and planet over profit. Circular fashion is our future, it has to be. My birthday today and there's no better way of spending it than speaking about circular fashion with all my friends across the chamber. I'd like to congratulate Stephanie Callaghan for securing this debate and also give my apologies that I do need to leave at 6.15 to catch a train, but we may be finished by then anyway. There's a compelling case for making clothes more sustainable. It means longer lasting products, that's good for consumers, it means new opportunities for business, that's good for the economy and it means fewer resources are needed, that's good for the environment. So I'm pleased today's motion recognises ACS clothing in North Lanarkshire because they are a world-class example of a circular economy for clothes. I visited them last year to see their operation for myself and it's incredible, feet of logistics, renting, repairing and reusing thousands of garments that would otherwise cost individuals hundreds of pounds, reducing waste, generating jobs and creating value for consumers. Clothing reuse and repair businesses of all sorts can be encouraged through the tax system, such as scrapping VAT on sustainable clothing. I wrote to the chancellor last year, I think that was four chancellors ago, urging him to do just that and I would urge the Scottish Government to act too by exempting sustainable clothing businesses from non-domestic rates. When we do buy new clothing we should encourage the use of natural fibres wherever possible, such as wool. That's great for farmers, for consumers and for the environment. So why aren't the Scottish Government doing more to back this amazing Scottish natural resource? For starters we could improve the data as we don't actually know how much wool is used in textile manufacturing. We need a strategy for wool production to help create more circular fashion. Although we all welcome the circular textiles fund, it's a relatively small budget. It looks pretty stretched and comes seven years after the Scottish Government cancelled the textiles programme for Zero Waste Scotland. We need far more than just a small fund, we need interventions throughout the textiles life cycle. For example, in the design phase we need to encourage far more design for disassembly, we need zero waste pattern formulation, we need design for durability and we need cradle to cradle phasing. In the manufacturing stage we need as far as possible single fibre textiles to be used, dry dyeing and printing to minimise our environmental impact, to utilise disassembly technologies and use biodegradable materials whenever possible. In the retail and service phase we need to have, like ACS, hydring and leasing, incentivise return, collaborative consumption and reduced packaging. Finally, for remanufacture, we need fibre reprocessing, upcycling, refashioning and closed loop recycling, where the others are not possible. Consumers have a vital role to play, and my message to the public is to quote the late Dame Vivienne Westwood, who famously encouraged, by less, choose well, make it last. I would like to start by thanking Stephanie Callan for bringing this important members' debate to the chamber today and to extend my best wishes to Maurice Golden. As I'm sure we can all agree, the need to tackle climate change is now more urgent than ever. The emissions produced by textile waste in Scotland are alarming. However, the opportunities to grow the circular fashion market in Scotland are vast. A report published by Zero Waste Scotland last year showed that, while textiles only represented 4 per cent of waste in Scotland, by weight the account for 32 per cent of Scotland's carbon impact. The Scottish Government's target to meet net zero by 2045 is ambitious but achievable, and targeting the carbon waste generated from textiles will be key to reaching the school. Fast fashion not only produces a high level of carbon emissions due to wasted textiles, but the industry's water consumption is high, the use of chemicals in production can be damaging to the environment and the health of workers. Keeping garments in the loop for longer will help the fashion industry in Scotland to reduce its current emissions and bring Scotland closer to net zero. Changing our focus from consuming to reusing will also provide new and exciting opportunities for shoppers and businesses. In Scotland, we already have excellent examples of businesses who are working to introduce circularity to the fashion industry. For example, Regine, based in Glasgow, repurpose denim, which would otherwise be sent to landfill, and Totty Rocks, based in Edinburgh, only use material and design source in Scotland to reduce their carbon footprint. With the Scottish Government's £2 million backing of the circular textiles fund, we can expect to see more innovative solutions to those issues. The fund, which has administered by Zero Waste Scotland, aims to develop circular supply chains in Scotland and help businesses to achieve net zero. While the support from the Scottish Government is welcome, it is clear that we all need to do more to reduce waste in the textiles and fashion industry. The opportunities for consumers to shop with small, sustainable fashion brands are growing, but there are many other ways for consumers to shop sustainably and to support their local economy. Pre-loved clothing can often offer better quality and longer-lasting items for a lower price than many fast-fashion brands, which is particularly important as we continue to deal with the rising cost of living. In my constituency, Westlothian Food Bank, charity shops in Whitburn and the recently opened Armadale store allow consumers to purchase pre-loved items. The Armadale store provides occasion wear for events such as weddings and problems that are very expensive for many people. They are typically costly pieces, but the service will allow people a more affordable way to celebrate family and community events in style during the cost of living crisis. The store will also be opening a bridal room for the purpose in February, where customers will be able to try items before buying. Westlothian Food Bank charity shop is a great example as they allow customers to shop sustainably while also supporting their community as sales from the shop help fund the food bank. I am looking forward to visiting their new premises soon. Consumers can also utilise online services, which allow the rental of clothing. For example, the Mossbox monthly rental service from Mossbross. I do not know, Presiding Officer, if you are old enough to remember when Mossbross originated as a rental outlet and shot with second-hand retailers online with apps like Vinted. By making the choice to rent, recycle and reware, we can all play our part in reducing the emissions generated by wasted textiles. My challenge, as we go into the new year, is not only to continue to support circular fashion in Scotland as we are doing here today with this debate, but for Scotland to be more conscious as we start this year and make 2023 the year of recycling, reusing, refashioning and restoring our clothes. Thank you very much, Ms Housley. I think that I probably need to declare an interest in relation to Mossbross back in the day. I now call Kenneth Gibson to be followed by Monica Lennon in around four minutes. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I, too, thank my colleague Stephanie Callaghan for securing this evening's debate. For all the many issues that MSPs and political parties disagree on, it is safe to say that there is a common desire to create a sustainable economy, protecting our planet and its resources. It is certainly for that reason that we have seen such strong cross-party support for delivery on each of these fronts and to offer so many positive outcomes for consumers, designers, producers, workers and, crucially, our natural environment. In discussing our collective drive towards reducing our carbon footprint, we regularly debate the glaringly obvious how we produce power, heat our homes and travel. Often, those discussions are about what someone else will do to fix a problem, from building cleaner power stations to designing better electric cars. What is often missing from the conversation is a recognition that this only takes us so far. To be successful in meeting climate goals, it is up to every one of us to change our personal behaviour, the way we consume, dispose and consider the positive choices that we can make to deliver an impact. The choices that we make about the clothes we wear and how we move away from a wasteful damaging take, make and dispose model of producing fashion is one area where there are both solutions at hand and a growing public appetite to be more responsible and mindful about what and when we buy. Indeed, when fashion platform unfolded surveyed consumers asking what the most important factors were when buying clothing, the top answer was sustainable fabrics, which 86 per cent agreed is important. The same survey found 61 per cent planned to upcycle and we use their clothes more often. Rethinking the fashion industry and our fashion choices is not about tinkering around the edges of the climate emergency. Modern textile production relies heavily on fossil fuels, and the United Nations Environment programme estimates that fashion accounts for up to 10 per cent of global carbon dioxide output, more than international flights and shipping combined. Furthermore, with polyester replacing cotton as a major component in textile production, fashion now accounts for a fifth of the 300 million tonnes of plastic produced globally each year. The problem is growing with the World Economic Forum suggesting annual gamut production has doubled since a turn of the millennium. Polyester production alone will exceed 92 million tonnes in the next decade, an increase of 47 per cent. That is totally unsustainable, and we have seen huge dumping of excess clothing in Africa and elsewhere. Alarmily, I mean a fraction of what we wear is recycled, with 87 per cent of total clothing fibre ultimately incinerated or sent to landfill at home and abroad. That means wasted energy and production, emissions from disposable disposals and, thanks to polyester's dominance, ever more microplastic entering our seas and water courses. Discussing that in global terms can often make the problem seem intangible or insurmountable given the scale of the challenge. Cred is therefore due to Zero Waste Scotland, whose groundbreaking Scottish carbon metric methodology measures the whole life carbon impacts of Scotland's waste from resource extraction and manufacturing emissions right through to waste management emissions, regardless of where in the world those impacts occur. Shockingly, as Fiona Hyslop pointed out, her 2020 report showed that textiles that make up just 4 per cent of Scotland's waste by weight accounted for a startling 32 per cent of our carbon impact, and that is worth repeating. It does not have to be this way. New technologies and processes coupled with political support and behaviour change can reduce our demand for new textiles. Advanced clothing solutions, which I thank for providing my suit for this debate, is an excellent case in point. The pioneering work with the University of the West of Scotland sanitises garments using environmentally friendly ozone gas, extending the life of use of damaged garments for some of the country's biggest brands. When we consider that 40 per cent of clothing purchased online is returned and more than half of those returns are destroyed, it is clear to see how this service can make a positive difference and is making a positive difference. In line with that new technology, I was encouraged to see that progress is under way to adapt it to the sanitisation and reuse of PPE garments, £4 billion of which was burned by the UK Government only last year, the importance of which is not lost on any of us. Such initiatives create huge economic opportunities to allow universities to commercially develop technology, generate new businesses and create green jobs here in Scotland. Indeed, with the support of Skills Development Scotland, ACS brought on its largest intake of 30 apprentices last summer, including five people with disabilities and five refugees, to help to drive forward their net zero ambitions. In closing, Deputy Presiding Officer, I again thank Stephanie Callaghan for securing an ACS for supporting this debate. As a Parliament, we must continue to encourage people to evolve their habits and incentivise responsible production, manufacturing reuse of products, whilst deterring and penalising the wasteful and unfair practices that are the very worst of the fashion industry. Only then can we deliver a material change in terms of emission reductions and environmental sustainability. Thank you, Mr Gibson. You have never looked more dapper. Monica Lennon, to be followed by Ruth Maguire around four minutes, Ms Lennon. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and can I join colleagues in congratulating Stephanie Callaghan in bringing forward the motion and also securing the debate and bringing the Parliament together, because you can hear from the speeches that people are very passionate about the topic, and that's always very encouraging. Many happy returns to Maurice Golden. I hope that he's got cake and candles waiting at home. I'm sure that he'll be wishing for a circular economy, and the minister is here to take notes of that. Like Stephanie Callaghan, I also had the pleasure and privilege of visiting ACS at their North Lanarkshire headquarters in my region. I encourage colleagues, whether they're Central Scotland or elsewhere, to reach out. I'm sure that the team who are here in the gallery, who are very welcome, would be glad to welcome visitors to their site. When I was there, I was able to get an extensive tour and to chat to apprentices on site as well. We're here to talk about circular fashion and about the environmental benefits, but clearly benefits around fair work and social change that we want to see. It's all about the fairer Scotland and indeed the fairer world that we want to live in. Before I forget, it's always good to take opportunities and members' debates, because there is such interest in the topic and the wider themes. I will be hosting an event for fashion revolution on 27 April here in Parliament, and again everyone will be welcome to come along to that. Back in 2021, when it was COP26 in Glasgow, I had the privilege of meeting with Carrie Somers, who is the co-founder of fashion revolution. We met at Tegusta, a future world where clothes enrich every aspect of our lives and the environment. Fashion should be fun, but our addiction to fast fashion can be very damaging and criminal. I would also ask colleagues to think about and reflect on the tragic disaster that happened at the Ranna Plaza complex in Bangladesh almost 10 years ago, because thousands of people lost their lives, thousands more were injured. When we talk about clothing and textiles and the aspiration for next-year-old apparel, we have to think about the people behind the labels and behind the government. Hopefully, here in Scotland, we are not just talking the talk, we are going to be walking the walk as well. It is encouraging to hear that the values that the ACS is promoting locally and beyond. It takes investment. Any company has to look at risk, they have to look at what is happening in terms of legislation. I think that more is golden right, we need to look at what more we can do here in the Scottish Parliament, working with the Government, but where there should be co-operation between this Government and the UK Government. The motion is right to talk about recognising growing calls to incentivise responsible and circular consumption through fiscal and regulatory levers. We need to talk about the carrot and sticks, since some of that will not be popular, but we need system change because individuals, communities and pioneering businesses are doing responsible things. We are getting pockets of good practice when we need structural and systemic change. It is really important in the discussions that we involve our trade union colleagues, we involve workers and bring in those in the third sector who are doing really innovative work as well. Time is short, as ever, in those debates. I have probably missed out all the people that I wanted to reference, but I think that that shows that there is a lot of common ground here. More is golden chairs of the circular economy, croix party group, we are looking forward to the circular economy bill, we have big opportunities in this Parliament, I hope that we can seize them, and that we can have a fashion revolution here in Scotland. Thank you very much, Ms Lennon. I now call Ruth Maguire to be followed by Graham Simpson for around four minutes, Ms Maguire. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I would like to join colleagues in congratulating Stephanie Callaghan for securing this debate and highlighting and promoting the adoption of circular fashion methods. I am not normally a fan of commenting on politicians' appearance, but I do think that her and Kenneth Gibson both look magnificent in their hired outfits this evening. While upcycling has become increasingly trendy, circular fashion is nothing new historically. Clothes shopping for the average person was costly. Customers bought fabric, trimming, lining and threads to be made by a tailor or dressmaker. The finished textiles involved so much intensive handwork that the goods were expensive and items made to last, and last they did repeatedly mended or restyled and eventually cut short for children to wear. Even when mass production of clothing was refined in the UK during the Second World War, strict restrictions under the utility scheme ensured that manufacturers produced goods of a high standard, which were able to be repurposed. Now we have fast fashion. Popular high street brands offer cheaper, speedier manufacturing and shipping methods, which facilitate increasing consumer appetite for the up-to-the-minute styles and the ability to indulge in instant gratification desires while promoting a throwaway culture and maximising their own profits. Individual purchasing is variable, making it important to understand inequality and the pressures felt both financially and socially, particularly on low-income earners and families. Handmade leather shoes that will last a lifetime with some care and repair might be cheap over the lifetime, but an initial outlay of hundreds of pounds is not possible for everyone. There are other ways, and today, more than ever, it is important that we highlight the importance of dumping the take-make-waste-linear model. I applaud organisations such as Advanced Clothing Solutions, which specialise in rental and renewal of clothing, and Second Hand Online and High Street Charity Shops, where people can buy good-quality, affordable clothing, and community-led initiatives such as reuse items for school uniforms. Those examples are all becoming more commonplace and an illustration of successful initiatives that result in cultural change, waste reduction, are accessible for many and can tackle poverty in a stigma-free way. Those are organisations that value not just what they do or the garments they provide but the people who work for them. Fair work should be at the centre of a move towards sustainable fashion. Fair wages and good conditions for the fabric and garment workers producer apparel are important. Findings from the 2021 fashion transparency index show that most major brands still withhold vital data on human rights issues, including worker pay and conditions, purchasing practices and racial and gender inequality. While that might conjure up images of sweatshops in countries far away with workers toiling in dangerous conditions for minimal pay, Labour behind the label published evidence in June 2020 exposing forced labour here in the UK garment factories, with some workers enduring intimidation and earning as little as £3 an hour. With the current cost of living crisis, we need to ensure that our citizens are aware of options for them to make cheaper, sustainable choices, enabling them to move away from fast fashion choices. In November 2022, the centre for social justice reported the current financial crisis. The poorest in our society face a poverty premium in seven key areas, costing families around an extra £480 a year. It is disgraceful that lower-income households are incurring extra costs while purchasing the same essential goods and services as households who are better off. Our planet and people are no longer capable of maintaining a throw-away culture and it is necessary that we move to a sustainable future at pace. People should know that a move to a circular fashion is no longer just the privilege of the rich. Thank you. Can I start by apologising for not being in the chamber? I like to speak while I'm in the chamber but I've got a constituency event that I need to get to, so that's my excuse. I'm certainly not putting my slippers on, as Stephanie Callahan said earlier, but congratulations to Stephanie for securing this debate. I can say that the idea of offering rental clothes to MSPs has certainly paid off and it certainly seems to have cured Kenny Gibson's fashion woes. He should certainly continue to rent, and that would be the message to Kenny Gibson. I have also visited ACS at their plant in my region. It was an eye-opener for me that we have a rental sector and it should be expanded. Some of the figures that they gave me were quite startling and the fashion industry produces 10% of global carbon emissions. That could rise to 26% by 2050. 20% of waste water globally is from the fashion industry. 50 billion plastic bottles worth of microfibers are released annually by the industry. Of course, as we've heard already, 98% of brands don't pay their workers a livable wage. Other MSPs have already said and they're right that we live in an age where it's fast fashion, it's throwaway fashion. I should say that in the spirit of this debate, I'm wearing a jacket that I bought second hand in the 1980s. It was second hand then, probably shows actually. My tie was also bought at the same time, but they were made to last and they have lasted and I can still wear them and I think they look okay. I think I can see Morris Golden shortling there as well he might, but that's what we should be doing. We shouldn't be chucking clothes away that are perfectly usable and that's happening too often. Thankfully though, I think younger people are latching on to the message that we shouldn't have such a throwaway society. Fiona Hyslop mentioned that there are apps out there where people can buy and sell clothes that have been worn before and we really need to change the market. Now, ACS have come up with some solutions such as implementing regulations on the use of synthetic materials, establishing minimum standards for sustainable production, implementing product labelling requirements, providing incentives for sustainable fashion. I'm just going to close on one of my personal bug bears and it's not to do with clothes, it's to do with footwear. Now, a number of shoes and trainers are built so they're very hard to repair and I like to get stuff repaired rather than throw them away. It's very, very difficult the way shoes and trainers are manufactured now to do that, so we really need to take a look at that. It's not just about clothes, footwear as well. I'll end there. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr Simpson. I noticed you waited until you were joining us remotely before bravely having a go at Mr Gibson's fashion sense. With that, I call Carol Malkin for around four minutes, Ms Malkin. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I thank Stephanie Callahan along with everyone Nails for bringing this debate to the chamber and I very much wanted to speak in Stephanie Callahan's debate. I've had an interest in this for many years and in the interests of birthday wishes. I only have a few words to say, so I shouldn't keep everyone. Before starting to talk about this particular debate, I thought that it was interesting when I spoke this afternoon to the stall at Friends of the Earth just about how much we have to go in Scotland in terms of meeting that circular economy, and it was a very interesting discussion with them about just how much we have to do. I hope that everyone here is very committed to making sure that we can get that right. In terms of the debate today, when I was researching the statement that I'm going to read out, it really stood out to me, and I read some information that said that the vast majority of consumer fashion is stuck in a linear model with most used clothes perceived as having no value in being disposed of at an ever-increasing frequency even now. In recent times, modern culture has driven continued increase in oversupply and planned throwaway. Fast fashion is a business model that focuses on a rapid supply chain working to design, produce and distribute new items of clothing and ancillary to drape, and many people have mentioned that. The point that I want to make is that this model works largely due to the low cost of labour—the cost of labour, actually. These changes in fashion trends and purchasing consumer demand have an effect on those who work in the industry. Many of the contributions have stated this, but I want to particularly highlight why I have an interest in this debate, and it is around that low-cost labour, particularly in child labour around the globe. I think that we have to be honest and we have to not kid ourselves and we should not shield consumers and our constituents from the truth of this. My interest in this area stems from a visit that I made to India 30 years ago. On that visit, part of the tour took me to a factory. In that factory, there were tiny children threading beads for fashion. I was only in my 20s and I am standing here and I can feel what I felt at that moment in time. 30 years later, in 2021, when we had COP here in Scotland, there was a video produced. There are still tiny children threading beads across India, and it is absolutely unacceptable. The Western world has huge responsibility for that. It is so good to bring the debate and to discuss it, but we need to be very honest about where we are in the world on that matter. Unless we can change consumer attitudes towards clothes and purchasing, and the things that we have discussed here today about valuing things that are there and having things made to last, it will be really difficult to shift the industry that is driven by purchasing and change the supply change into this circular economy, which, when we see those great examples that are so lovely to see here in the gallery, can be done. We need to work really, really hard to make that happen. For me, the cost is the human cost of the fashion industry, and we have to take it seriously. In closing, the motion before us started today that the Parliament encouraged the adoption of the circular fashion methods. I hope that, one day in Scotland and across the world, legislation will be clear that we have no option but to manufacture, purchase and recycle in a responsible manner and that that is legislated for, and that, of course, we can save the planet. What I want to stand here today and say is to save our fellow workers and small children across the world and make sure that we can change fashion for the better. Thank you very much. Thank you, Ms Malkin. I now invite Lorna Slater to respond to the debate, minister, bearing in mind Mr Golden's birthday plans for around about seven minutes, please. Wonderful. I wouldn't want to keep Morris from his birthday plans. I'm very happy that he returns to the day, too. I can't tell you all how excited I am about speaking in this debate today. This is a topic that I'm completely passionate about. I would say that I am addicted to fashion, but that doesn't mean that I'm addicted to consumption. In my desk left desk drawer you'll find this, which is what I call my circular economy toolkit, which is a sewing kit for repairing and fixing buttons and so on on garment. So thank you so much to Stephanie Callaghan for bringing this debate today and to all the members who spoke in this debate. It is an important topic that affects us all. We all wear clothing. Food, shelter and clothing are the fundamental needs of every human being, and the carbon footprint of our overconsumption of fashion at the moment is affecting all life on earth. So I agree with absolutely everything that Stephanie Callaghan said in her speech. I share her love of charity shops, although I do struggle to get these shoulders into vintage clothes. Like Stephanie, I'm showing my heart in my outfit today in terms of I'm a sewing addict. I make many of my own clothes, including this skirt that I'm wearing today, which used to be a dress when I was a more spelt person myself, but now it is a suit. Now it will only cover the bottom half, so now it's a skirt. During my Christmas holidays I spend much of my time sewing, and I agree with many people in the room that second hand is not second best. We need to make clothing to last, keep it longer and learn to repair. This is something that I'm absolutely passionate about, and I do not think that being fashion conscious means that we have to over-consume. I think that this is a very timely discussion as well, because we are not just in a climate crisis, we are not just discussing waste and pollution, but also our cost crisis, which some members have highlighted today. The circular economy holds within it the ability to tackle all of these issues, particularly sharing, reuse, alteration and repair, have the potential to reduce costs to consumers. Every material that is wasted comes at a cost to our planet, and it's clear that textiles are having a disproportionate environmental impact, accounting for nearly a third of the carbon impact of Scotland's household waste. Making fashion more circular requires changes at all parts of the supply chain, including design, production, consumption and recycling. I was very interested in several members who talked about design, and I took notes down. Design for disassembly, design for durability, and Graham Simpson mentioned design for repair. I absolutely agree with all of these principles. Circular economy is not just about scooping up and dealing with waste differently, it's about stopping that waste in the first place. Our Circular Textiles Fund will help improve the circularity of textiles in Scotland by backing innovative ideas to help to tackle the environmental impacts that we know textiles have. Zero Waste Scotland is actively working on the fund, working with and supporting circular businesses to develop new ideas for this. I thank the member for taking the intervention. I welcome the fund, but I wonder if the minister would consider urging Zero Waste Scotland to develop a textile strategy so that we can attempt to make some of the interventions that the minister has highlighted. I listened very carefully to the member's speech, and I was particularly interested in your thoughts around textile strategy and wool production. I spoke to officials about this morning or yesterday, and I will be meeting some industry stakeholders in the wool and textile industries in the near future, including our representative of the industry group leader for textile manufacturing in Scotland. That is something that I am so keen on. I am absolutely happy to follow up on those matters and see what we can do. We are bringing the circular economy bill in this parliamentary term, which will establish the legislative framework to support Scotland's transition to zero waste and circular economy. We have also got our waste route map that will set out how we intend to deliver our system-wide comprehensive vision for Scotland's circular economy. We have established a £70 million recycling improvement fund, marking one of the biggest investments in recycling in Scotland in a generation. Householders have a big role to play, as many in this chamber have highlighted, in supporting this shift. We have proposed a process of co-design with local government and households to set new standards for high-quality, modern household recycling and reuse services across Scotland that will build on our commitment to consult on requirements to separately collect textiles by 2025. As many members in the chamber have said, I have also visited advanced clothing solutions, which gave me jars of their locally grown honey from their biodiversity initiative, which I loved. I saw for myself the great work that was being done in sustainable fashion. I have also been to visit the Calypso Collective, which is run by women and includes specifically pattern design for reduction of waste and use of those cut-off pieces—what we call cabbage when we are sewing—to make other products to prolong the textile's life cycle, slow down unnecessary production and reduce waste. The other business that I have visited or one of the others is Remake Scotland in Creef, which has a reuse hub and a fantastic textile's room, where they sell used fabrics, second-hand fabrics, for £2 a kilo. I confessed that I came away with quite a large bag that I then had to smuggle into the house past my husband, who feels like I already have enough fabric in the house. My mother says that she who dies with the most wins, so I am working on that. Before I close, I just wanted to highlight some of the key themes that I heard from members today. Some really important comments. Many people highlighted the work of ACS, some of the innovation work around cleaning PPE, but I think what's really highlighted there is the opportunities in circularity and in circular business models for business opportunities and prosperity job creation. On the flip side of that, many colleagues highlighted the difficulty with workers conditions around the world and the tragedy in Bangladesh as a result of some of those conditions. Many colleagues highlighted the challenges around climate with carbon and plastic and wastewater being side products of the fashion industry that we need to reduce. All of this is about culture change, which many colleagues highlighted as well. That is helping consumers to move to a place where second-hand upcycling, refashioning and repair is all second nature to all of us, and that will help us with the cost of living crisis. I feel a bit cheeky because I think that Graham Simpson was flashing on the screen trying to get in, but I was just on that point about culture change that we've heard in many ways that young people are leading the way, but there is a role for education that I think Stephanie Callaghan may have mentioned. I was looking back on previous social media and tweets ahead of the debate. Newspapers have given headlines about members of the royal family wearing a recycled dress, but it was addressed that it had worn more than once. There is a lot of misogyny and sexism when we talk about fashion, particularly about women and the public eye. What more could Government do in education and public information to challenge some of the more negative stereotyping that is out there? Sorry, I thank the member very much for her intervention. I am aware that I am short of time. I can give you some additional time. The member highlighted some issues that drive me crazy about those kind of headlines as well. I was just coming to the bit where I think that some members have suggested some tools that might be used to help improve this. I hope that demonstrating today normalising mainstreaming repair and wearing of second-hand clothing will help with that. Labelling of clothes from several colleagues were mentioned, including that we are falling behind the EU on labelling, a call for an EPR for fashion suggestions on vat changes and other tax changes around clothes. That is some of the toolkit that we can all look at together to try to shift that in the right direction. I finally want to close with both Graham Simpson and Ruth McGuire, alluding to something that is often referred to as the vimes boots theory of poverty. That is about how challenging it can be to buy good-quality clothing for people who have cash challenges and how, as a culture, that is where we need to move to so that people have access to good-quality, durable clothing and the knowledge of how to repair them. Thank you so much, everyone.