FAQs

About ECIP

A group of industry stakeholders came together to design the program, and the buyers in that group (Costco, Kroger, McDonald’s, Walmart, Target and Sam’s Club) are inviting their fresh produce and floral suppliers to ECIP. Those suppliers in turn are inviting their growers to the program and to use ECIP LAB.

The Ethical Charter Implementation Program was formed through a collaboration of key industry members to create alignment with the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices.

  • Growers will be invited by their suppliers into ECIP LAB. They receive an email from ECIP LAB to set up an account on the platform. 
  • Suppliers receive information from buyers about participating in ECIP. Soon after they receive an invitation to create an account with ECIP LAB. 
  • Buyers can inquire about joining ECIP by contacting Equitable Food Initiative. 

The Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices is a framework developed by the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) to provide “a common baseline for accountability and transparency, that can be widely understood, accepted, and applied across the global produce and floral supply chains.”

About ECIP LAB

ECIP refers to the entire program, the Ethical Charter Implementation Program, which is overseen by a multistakeholder industry group. The program includes oversight, ECIP LAB and a Marketplace for supportive services. ECIP LAB is the interactive online platform that creates engagement with and alignment to the principles of the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices. In addition to providing a self-assessment of management systems, the platform provides information, resources and best practices.

Growers use ECIP LAB to learn about and self-assess their management systems. Self-assessment responses and notes are never shared and only available to ECIP LAB account users in that company. ECIP LAB is a safe place to store notes on progress and messages to team members. As users engage with the platform, the company/operation earns an Engagement Profile. The Engagement Profile is the one piece of data shared with your Supplier.

To access ECIP LAB, each grower, supplier and buyer pays an annual subscription fee. 

Growers pay $200 per year. 

Suppliers’ fees are based on annual sales:

  • Less than $10M: $1800 per year
  • $10-$50M: $3,600 per year
  • $50-$250M: $6,000 per year
  • $250-$999M: $7,200 per year
  • More than $999M: $9,000 per year
Buyers in the Advisory Group pay an initial investment of $100,000. Buyers joining after the program launch pay an initial investment ranging from $60-$100,000, dependent on annual sales. Starting in year two of their participation, buyers pay an annual fee of $25,000.

An engagement profile is created for each growing operation that is registered within ECIP LAB. Progress is tracked within LAB based on how users from the operation access the system, engage with resources within ECIP, and reevaluate their rank for each management system. 

Only the users connected under a company profile will see the complete data entered into ECIP LAB, including notes and assessment rankings. The engagement profile will be shared with suppliers. 

Technical support is accessed by emailing support@ethicalcharterprogram.org.

Questions from Growers

ECIP LAB is meant to assess and strengthen management systems at each farming operation. Each grower will want to assign as users in ECIP LAB, personnel who most directly implement and oversee labor management systems at field level and who have the ability to drive continuous improvement.

Growers are encouraged to review and update their responses in the Assessment Channel as conditions change. Continued engagement with the system will increase your engagement profile.
The Assessment Channel provides a description for each of the 54 management systems that, when functioning and effective, represent alignment with the Ethical Charter. Growers evaluate the current state of each management system by selecting one of the five responses (shown here).

The ECIP LAB rewards users for engagement and continuous improvement over time. To positively impact your engagement profile, users from your operation should log into ECIP LAB regularly, access information and resource provided, use supportive services from the ECIP Marketplace, add notes to the changing status of your management systems, and engage in worker surveys.

Worker surveys provide valuable data on whether or not management systems are working effectively.  Worker surveys also provide input on areas that need further development or clarification. Because worker surveys gather an account directly from those that the Ethical Charter seeks to protect, an operation receives a positive boost to an engagement profile for implementing them.

  • In the Learning Channel – growers can receive up to two stars for using tools available in the Learning Channel. Learn about the Ethical Charter principles, create notes for reference or other internal users, and set priorities for an action plan.
  • In the Assessment Channel – growers who complete all assessment questions qualify for the Assessment Star.
  • For the Worker Assessment Star – because workers provide valuable assessment of a management system’s effectiveness, this star is earned by completing an approved worker survey. Visit the Marketplace for organizations offering approved worker surveys.
  • For the gold Certification Star – growers who hold a current certification with an ECIP-vetted certification program qualify for the Certification Star.
Use the link sent through ECIP LAB by your supplier to set up your account and pay the $200 annual fee to have full access to the platform. Once registered, begin by using the Learn Channel to add to your understanding of how the Ethcial Charter can be operationalized, invite your colleagues to participate, and complete the assessment when the organization is ready.

Download the list of management systems that are assessed and how they relate to principles contained in the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices. 

Questions from Suppliers

Suppliers are invited and will receive information about ECIP from their buyer. Shortly after, they receive an email invitation into ECIP LAB. After creating an account and paying the annual fee, they will invite and connect with their growers in ECIP LAB. Watch a short video demo on how suppliers get started with ECIP LAB.

Soon after receiving information from your buyer about ECIP, you will receive an invitation to create an account with ECIP LAB. Register to set up your account, pay for an annual subscription and begin inviting your growers to ECIP LAB (watch a short video on how to do this).

Buyers are reaching out to suppliers in cohorts, with the first cohort receiving invitations in Fall 2023. If you are not invited to ECIP in the first cohort, you can get started on your own to begin to engage your growers by contacting support@ethicalcharter.org, or you can ask for an invitation from a participating buyer.

Many suppliers will be invited by more than one buying partner. The platform will provide a prompt to match you with each buyer that extends an invite. Your paid subscription to ECIP LAB and your engagement with the platform do not need to be duplicated as buyers are added to your profile.