WASHINGTON, September 9, 2024 – Equitable Food Initiative BB #:385632, the workforce development and certification organization that partners with growers, farmworkers, retailers and consumer groups, announces the launch of a supplier program within the Learn, Assess, and Benchmark (LAB) platform of the Ethical Charter Implementation Program (ECIP), which is available to suppliers beginning this week.
Until now, the learn, assess, and benchmark channels have been available exclusively to growers. Starting on September 3, suppliers will gain access to Supplier LAB, which includes a host of resources to support their grower partners to align with the Ethical Charter.
Suppliers will be guided through carefully designed assessment questions and will be able to benchmark and prioritize areas for improvement. Most importantly, Supplier LAB will enable suppliers to demonstrate their alignment with the Ethical Charter to their retail and food service customers.
Diona Monroe, Data Manager for EFI, emphasizes the significance of this expansion. “Currently, there is no standardized platform for major produce buyers to assess the extent or impact of social responsibility efforts within their supply chain. This new component of ECIP gives suppliers the ability to demonstrate their leadership and receive recognition for their hard work to promote responsible labor practices. Retailers also get a comprehensive view of labor management systems in their supply chains, moving beyond traditional audits to build capacity and assess labor practices.”
Participating buyers will benefit from aggregated data and industry-wide reports that can help them identify trends and develop targeted resources to support their suppliers. In addition, retailers will begin to see supplier engagement scores calculated through the use of the new Supplier LAB in early November.
“We are excited about the impact this next phase of ECIP is expected to deliver by engaging our suppliers in new actionable ways,” said Jim Hancock, Vice President of Produce & Floral at Sam’s Club. “As suppliers begin to self-assess their own management systems, it will allow us to better support them and their growers with additional tools and resources, and to ultimately recognize the suppliers who are most engaged in developing responsible labor practices.”
To introduce the new ECIP supplier program, EFI will host a webinar on Wednesday, September 11, at 11:00 a.m. PDT. The webinar will include a demonstration of each of the learn, assess, and benchmark channels, guest speakers and a live Q&A. More information and the link to register can be found at equitablefood.org/webinars.
Piloted in 2021, and fully launched in 2023, ECIP LAB is an online platform that provides tools and resources to suppliers and growers to strengthen labor management systems and align with the industry’s Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor. ECIP is designed to connect buyers, suppliers, and growers in a uniform commitment to improving labor management systems and highlighting best practices across the fresh produce supply chain.
Learn more about ECIP’s tools and resources at ethicalcharterprogram.org.
About EFI
Equitable Food Initiative is a capacity-building and certification nonprofit that works to improve the lives of farmworkers and drive business performance by integrating worker voice and engagement throughout the supply chain. As a multistakeholder organization, EFI brings together growers, farmworkers, retailers and consumers to create assessment, training and organizational development programs that support continuous improvement and address the industry’s most pressing problems. For more information about Equitable Food Initiative, visit equitablefood.org.
About ECIP
The Ethical Charter Implementation Program is a collaboration among retailers, grower-shippers and nonprofit organizations to create greater transparency regarding labor practices in the fresh produce industry, using capacity-building rather than audits. ECIP helps the industry capture, measure and enhance efforts to fulfill the principles of the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices.
Contact: LeAnne R. Ruzzamenti, (202) 524-0540, media@equitablefood.org
