Engagement 3.0 launches on July 22, 2026. This page is intended to preview the upcoming engagement cycle, please take note of all key dates and deadlines.
ECIP’s annual update, Engagement 3.0, launches on July 22, 2026, marking the next step in how ECIP supports and recognizes meaningful alignment with the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices across the fresh produce industry. Building on the momentum of Engagement 2.0, this Engagement Cycle brings a stronger focus on practical steps like action planning and documenting progress over time.
This page is designed to house all relevant information as we move into this Engagement Cycle. Bookmark it to stay up to date on upcoming webinars, in-person events and more!
Upcoming Events
Engagement 3.0 Release Preview
July 15, 2026
4:00pm – 5:30pm | Monterey, CA
398 E Franklin St, Monterey, CA 93940
During the Organic Produce Summit, join us for an exclusive preview of the annual updated ECIP Engagement Cycle, Engagement 3.0. Connect with growers, suppliers and hear directly from retailers about the importance of participating in each Engagement Cycle. Attendees will get a first look at what’s ahead in the Engagement 3.0 release, while enjoying an open coffee bar and light snacks.
Interested in being a sponsor for this event? Reach out to: info@equitablefood.org to learn more.
Here’s a recap of last year’s event.
Key Dates
- July 15: Engagement 3.0 Launch Preview during the Organic Produce Summit
- July 22: Buyer dashboard freezes
- July 22: Engagement 3.0 release
- July 22: Launching Engagement 3.0 Webinar
- September 15: Buyer dashboard unfreezes. Changes to grower and supplier profiles made after July 22 will now be reflected in supplier engagement profiles on the buyer dashboard.
- October 1: Deadline to be in the 2027 Leadership Circle and attend the celebration during the 2026 Global Produce and Floral Show
- October 15: 2027 Leadership Circle Celebration held during the Global Fresh Produce and Floral Show in Orlando, FL
“ECIP has become a key component of how we operate at Costco. We are encouraging our suppliers not only to join the platform, but also to meaningfully engage with its tools and resources to strengthen their labor practices and drive continuous improvement. We’re excited to see the broader industry embrace this important program and its impressive growth in such a short time.”
Amanda Kuhn, Produce Buyer -Berries
What to Expect
Suppliers & growers:
-This Engagement Cycle focuses on a shift to verified action, with more emphasis on documentation, continuous improvement and engagement that can be demonstrated across the supply chain.
-Earning stars has a higher emphasis on things like action plans, verified supply chain information and meaningful engagement across ECIP LAB.
-Higher-level stars like Ethical Recruitment Star and the Supplier Gold Star now have more defined, verifiable pathways.
To learn more read how Suppliers Earn Engagement Stars, or How Growers Earn Engagement Stars.
FAQs
Can growers and suppliers get "grandfathered" into Engagement 3.0?
Responses from previous Engagement Cycles will remain visible as “read only” to the user as a tool for continuous improvement. However, they will not be saved as active responses, and suppliers and growers will need to complete the management systems’ assessment after Engagement 3.0 is released on July 22 to build an engagement profile in 3.0.
What does it mean when you say engagement profiles will reset, and how does that impact suppliers and growers?
On July 22, supplier and grower engagement profiles will reset, and responses will need to be re-entered. Suppliers and growers will have until September 15 to complete the new assessment before 3.0 engagement profiles appear on supplier profiles or the buyer dashboard. After September 15, the updated grower assessments will go live, impacting the connected supplier engagement profiles and becoming visible to buyers on their dashboards.
To learn more about how grower engagement profiles are connected to—and impact—supplier engagement profiles, watch this video.
By what date should all our growers be enrolled in ECIP?
The grower engagement profile directly impacts the supplier engagement profile, which is visible on the buyer dashboard. To learn more about how these are connected, watch this video.
- July 22: Engagement 3.0 is released, and the Buyer Dashboard is temporarily frozen, preserving each supplier’s current engagement score.
- September 15: The Buyer Dashboard is unfrozen, and updated supplier engagement profiles become visible to retailers. Any changes to grower engagement profiles made after the Engagement 3.0 release will impact the supplier’s engagement score, but will only become visible to suppliers after September 15.
Will suppliers or growers need to pay for a new subscription after July 22?
Annual subscription fees are charged on the user’s renewal date and are not based on the introduction of new Engagement Cycles, so no new fees are applied on July 22. Watch this webinar to learn more about renewals.
I'm a grower who has an approved program, what impact does Engagement 3.0 have on me?
The validity date or your certificate or audit report from an approved program is separate from an Engagement Cycle.
While completing their Engagement 3.0 profile update, growers will need to upload , their up-to-date documentation with an ECIP-approved program. To have the $200 grower fee waived, you will also need to email a copy of these documents to ECIP support for verification: support@ethicalcharterprogram.org
My supply chain number disappeared, why?
To ensure the most accurate and up-to-date supply chain number is presented to buyers on the Buyer Dashboard, that number is reset during each Engagement Cycle. Note that you should be updating that number throughout the year as the supply chain number fluctuates.
I don't work with FLCs, can I still earn engagement stars in Grower LAB?
The Ethical Recruitment star in Grower LAB is not solely dependent on participation in FLC LAB. Growers can meet the requirement through several pathways: either by engaging farm labor contractors through FLC LAB, or by submitting alternative ethical recruitment documentation. Read more in How Growers Earn Engagement Stars.
How does the Supplier Gold Star change in this cycle?
Now to earn the Supplier Gold Star, a significant amount of your growers must have successfully earn the Ethical Recruitment Star. Read more.
What is the new Leadership Circle criteria?
To be in the 2027 Leadership Circle, suppliers will need to earn all 4 supplier green stars.
Upcoming Webinars
These webinars are designed to help users navigate Engagement 3.0. Sessions will include open office hours where you can bring your questions (in both English and Spanish), targeted trainings to support your marketing and sales teams in communicating your ECIP efforts to retail customers, and deep dives into specific updates included in the Engagement 3.0 release.
See below for details on these upcoming free offerings.
Launching: Engagement 3.0
Engagement 3.0 launches July 22, 2026. Join this webinar for a comprehensive overview of the new Engagement Cycle, what’s new, what’s changed, and how to earn engagement stars under the updated criteria. The session will include a full platform demo, insights from ECIP Advisory Group members, and a look ahead at what it takes to qualify for the 2027 Leadership Circle, with plenty of time for live Q&A.
Learning objective: Gain a clear understanding of Engagement 3.0 and the requirements for the 2027 Leadership Circle, with the opportunity to get your questions answered by the ECIP team.
When: July 22, 2026 | 10:00am-11:00am PDT / 1:00pm-2:00pm EDT
Who should attend: Suppliers and growers: Sustainability, HR, those who manage ECIP at their operation
ECIP LAB: What’s New & What’s Next
Join Madelyn Edlin and Diona Monroe for an overview of the latest updates and expectations for ECIP LAB. This session will cover the upcoming Engagement Cycle and address common questions from growers and suppliers. FLCs, growers, suppliers, and buyers are invited to join, learn, and bring their questions to the ECIP team.
Learning objective: Understand upcoming ECIP LAB updates, current retailer expectations, and how to navigate common questions from growers and suppliers.
When: June 17, 2026 | 10:00am-10:30am PDT / 1:00pm-1:30pm EDT
Who should attend: Suppliers and growers: Sustainability, HR, those who manage ECIP at their operation
ECIP Office Hours
Join us for a 30-minute open office hour, where we’ll answer your questions about Engagement 3.0, the 2027 Leadership Circle, and anything else on your mind. Bring broad questions or specific use cases, we’re happy to troubleshoot with you in real time.
Learning objective: By the end of this session, participants will understand how to apply current updates to their work in ECIP. Participants will also be able to identify practical next steps or solutions for their specific questions or use cases.
When: August 5, 2026 | 10:00am-10:30am PDT / 1:00pm-1:30pm EDT
Who should attend: Suppliers and growers: Sustainability, HR, those who manage ECIP at their operation
ECIP Oficina Abierta
Acompáñanos en una sesión de oficina abierta de 30 minutos en la que responderemos a tus preguntas sobre Engagement 3.0, el Círculo de Liderazgo 2027 y cualquier otro tema que te interese. Trae preguntas generales o casos de uso específicos; estaremos encantados de ayudarte a resolver tus dudas en tiempo real.
Objetivo de aprendizaje: Al final de esta sesión, los productores comprenderán los componentes clave de Engagement 3.0, lo que los proveedores necesitan ver y cómo se aplican a su trabajo. Los participantes también podrán identificar los próximos pasos prácticos o soluciones para sus preguntas o casos de uso específicos.
Cuándo: Agosto 5, 2026 | 10:00am-10:30am PDT / 1:00pm-1:30pm EDT
Quién debería atender: Productores y proveedores: Cargos de sostenibilidad, RRHH, o aquellos que manejen ECIP en sus operaciones.
How to Talk to Your Customers About ECIP: Leveraging ECIP Engagement in Retailer Conversations
This webinar will walk you through how to leverage your engagement with ECIP at the upcoming Global Fresh Produce and Floral Show. Learn what customers expect to see and how to use your engagement score as a meaningful talking point in sales conversations. This session is designed for marketing, business development, and sales teams looking to confidently communicate their ECIP participation and progress.
Learning objective: Equip your team to understand how to talk about your participation in ECIP in conversations with retailers.
When: September 30, 2026 | 10:00am-11:00am PDT / 1:00pm-2:00pm EDT
Who should attend: Suppliers: Marketing, sales, business development and C-suite
How Suppliers Earn Stars in Engagement 3.0
Assessment Channel
To earn this star, suppliers must complete all assessment questions and confirm that their responses accurately reflect current management systems. Suppliers must also acknowledge that assessment responses remain confidential and are not shared with customers.
Learning Channel
Suppliers earn this star by creating action plans for all high-priority improvement areas and uploading at least one completed Continuous Improvement Action Plan. Suppliers must also confirm their willingness to provide non-sensitive documentation, if requested, for areas identified as strengths.
Supply Chain Engagement
This star is automatically awarded when a significant majority of a supplier’s qualified growers achieve at least two engagement stars, or the Grower Gold Star, in Grower LAB. It reflects active supplier support for grower engagement across the supply chain.
Supply Chain Scope
To earn this star, suppliers must verify and report the total number of qualified growers in their supply chain using either payment system records or food safety audit and certification documents from the past 12 months. Suppliers must also attest that the verification process was completed and agree to provide supporting documentation if requested.
Ethical Recruitment Leadership
The Supplier Gold Star is automatically awarded when a significant majority of qualified growers successfully earn the Ethical Recruitment Star in Grower LAB. This star recognizes leadership in supporting ethical recruitment practices throughout the supply chain.
How Growers Earn Stars in Engagement 3.0
Assessment Channel
To earn this star, growers must complete the assessment in Grower LAB, understanding that their responses remain confidential and are not shared outside their organization. Growers must also confirm that their responses accurately reflect the current status of their management systems, supporting credible and honest engagement.
Learning Channel
Growers earn this star by creating action plans for all high-priority improvement areas and uploading at least one completed Continuous Improvement Action Plan. Growers must also confirm their willingness to provide non-sensitive documentation, if requested, for areas identified as strengths to support peer learning and best practice sharing.
Ethical Recruitment
Growers earn this star by demonstrating active engagement in ethical recruitment practices through one of two pathways. Growers may either engage Farm Labor Contractors through FLC LAB or upload approved ethical recruitment documentation, including a Stronger Together 360 Baseline Progress Report, Verité Recruitment Cost Breakdown Table or EPP Continuous Improvement Action Plan.
Advanced Engagement
To earn this star, growers must confirm their commitment to completing the assessment credibly and understand that their Engagement Profile is shared with suppliers. Growers must also express willingness to share best practices documentation and confirm that they expect workforce survey responses to align with their self-assessment responses.
Approved Program
Growers earn this star by being part of a field-level approved program. Growers upload their program documentation within Grower LAB. However to have the $200 grower fee waived, growers must send their program type, number and program expiration date to support@ethicalcharter.org.
Need more assistance navigating Engagement 3.0? Send us an email, support@ethicalcharterprogram.org