First-Year Report Shows Produce Supply Chain Engaging with the Ethical Charter Implementation Program (ECIP)
June 12, 2025 | 5 min to read
The Ethical Charter Implementation Program (ECIP) has reported significant progress in its first year, engaging over 280 suppliers and 1,100 farms in the fresh produce sector. Through the Learn, Assess and Benchmark (LAB) platform, participants evaluated their practices against the Ethical Charter, reporting strengths in occupational safety and wages. However, there remains a need for improvement in areas like worker protections. The program aims to deepen engagement in its second year.
Progress and Opportunity Highlighted as Program Gains Traction
WASHINGTON — The Ethical Charter Implementation Program (ECIP) has released its first annual industry report, showcasing significant strides in supplier and grower engagement across the fresh produce supply chain.
Since the program’s launch by an industry advisory group and Equitable Food Initiative in November 2023, ECIP has enrolled more than 280 suppliers and nearly 1,100 farms on its platform, representing an unprecedented effort to build awareness, assess management systems and foster continuous improvement in alignment with the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices.
Through ECIP’s Learn, Assess and Benchmark (LAB) platform, growers and suppliers access tailored components, Grower LAB and Supplier LAB, that guide them through self-evaluation, learning and progress tracking. With privacy and continuous improvement at its core, ECIP has created a safe space for users to explore how their practices align with Ethical Charter principles.
“The report highlights the successful achievement of our year one objective: to initially engage a critical mass of suppliers and retailers in the program,” noted Peter O’Driscoll, executive director for Equitable Food Initiative. “Participants utilized ECIP LAB’s self-assessments to evaluate their management systems, free from the pressure of an audit or external review, and that allowed them to access learning resources and prioritize areas for development.”
Of the 1,100 growers using Grower LAB, one-third submitted a current social responsibility certification from one of the 16 ECIP-approved programs, earning a gold star in their engagement profile. Nearly 800 of the farming operations that subscribed to Grower LAB had no prior experience with formal social responsibility audits or certifications.
“For the growers who haven’t experienced a codified workforce management, audit or certification program, ECIP LAB provides a first-time opportunity to assess and improve labor practices using structured criteria and accessible tools,” said Kenton Harmer, director of market-based impact for Equitable Food Initiative. “Retail partners in ECIP are most interested in learning more about and supporting these growers to improve alignment with the Ethical Charter.”
Grower self-assessments revealed notable strengths in several areas. Many reported robust resources supporting:
- Occupational safety and health
- Wages and benefits
- Protection of children and young workers
At the same time, growers assessed a need for further development to support these Ethical Charter principles:
- Communication and worker protections
- Management systems and continuous improvement
- Ethical recruitment
In addition to summarizing the first year of activity in ECIP LAB, the first annual report shares insights and testimonials from participating retailers and highly engaged suppliers. Retailers share what they like about the program and why they are eager to support it, while suppliers point out the benefits of having a standardized approach to social responsibility in the industry.
“As we wrapped up year one, retailers gained access to the ECIP Buyer Dashboard which provides a ranking of the most engaged suppliers around labor practices based on their reporting within and use of ECIP LAB,” added Harmer. “Year two will be focused on driving deeper engagement so that growers and suppliers can best utilize ECIP LAB to showcase their social responsibility efforts to buyers – stay tuned for updates to the platform in mid-July!”
To access the full report, visit ethicalcharterprogram.org/ecip-annual-report.
About ECIP
The Ethical Charter Implementation Program (ECIP) is a collaboration among retailers, grower-shippers and implementing organizations to recognize and strengthen engagement around labor practices in the fresh produce industry, highlight existing best-practice efforts and identify opportunities for continuous improvement. The program is built around self-assessment to avoid the burden of an additional audit. Through an assessment tool and capacity-building resources, it helps measure and strengthen alignment with the principles of the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices. Launched with initial funding from the Walmart Foundation and administered by Equitable Food Initiative, the program is overseen by an advisory group composed of leading buyers and suppliers and key stakeholders, including representatives from AgSocio, Bonduelle Fresh Americas, Costco Wholesale, Kroger, McDonald’s USA, Naturipe, Sam’s Club, Tanimura and Antle, Target, Taylor Farms and Walmart. More information about the program can be found at ethicalcharterprogram.org.
About the Ethical Charter
The Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices provides an industry framework for accountability and transparency related to respect for laws at work, respect for professional conduct and respect for human rights in the production and purchase of fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers. It was adopted in 2018 by the Produce Marketing Association and the United Fresh Produce Association (now combined to form the International Fresh Produce Association) after a committee of suppliers and buyers defined the common baseline to ensure everyone in the industry is treated with dignity and respect.
About ECIP LAB – Learn, Assess and Benchmark
ECIP LAB, an online platform designed by Equitable Food Initiative for growers, suppliers and buyers, creates engagement with and alignment to the principles of the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices throughout the produce supply chain. Suppliers and their growers are invited by their retail buyers to use this interactive tool to assess current practices and management systems, access resources and review information around best practices. An engagement profile tracks each grower’s and supplier’s ongoing interaction with the tool to encourage and support continuous improvement. Suppliers and their retail customers will see aggregated, anonymized data from their supply chain.
About Equitable Food Initiative
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 engagement throughout the supply chain. As a multistakeholder organization, EFI brings together growers, farmworkers and retailers to create assessment, training and organizational development programs that support continuous improvement and address the industry’s most pressing challenges.