Stronger Together, a key ECIP Marketplace Service Provider, is a global leader in advancing responsible recruitment and fair labor practices. In this Q&A, we explore how their tools support growers using the ECIP platform and what trainings and resources can enhance the self-assessment experience. One resource is the Responsible Recruitment and Fair Work Toolkit for Employers, which is now integrated into the ECIP Advanced Engagement Star in Grower LAB, alongside the Verité Recruitment Cost Calculator, as part of the commitment of ECIP in providing practical, actionable tools that drive meaningful progress.
Can you introduce Stronger Together and its mission?
Stronger Together is a nonprofit working to ensure all workers are recruited responsibly and treated fairly, free from exploitation. We support businesses with practical training, resources, and collaborative programs to help embed ethical recruitment and employment practices across supply chains.
How do ECIP and Stronger Together align in their goals to promote responsible sourcing and ethical labor practices?
Both ECIP and Stronger Together are committed to the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices. Stronger Together helps businesses apply these principles by focusing on ethical recruitment and fair treatment. Our collaborative approach with ECIP supports broader industry efforts to align sourcing with labor rights and responsible business operations.
How do ECIP and Stronger Together align in their goals to promote responsible sourcing and ethical labor practices?
Both ECIP and Stronger Together are committed to the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices. Stronger Together helps businesses apply these principles by focusing on ethical recruitment and fair treatment. Our collaborative approach with ECIP supports broader industry efforts to align sourcing with labor rights and responsible business operations.
What specific challenges in the produce industry does Stronger Together aim to address?
Stronger Together focuses on labor risks related to recruitment, defined as hiring workers lawfully, fairly and transparently while protecting their rights throughout employment. In agriculture, which often depends on migrant labor, unethical recruitment can lead to forced labor or debt bondage. Key challenges include:
- Informality of Recruitment Processes: Many recruitment practices occur outside formal channels, making it difficult to monitor and regulate
- Understanding the True Cost of Hiring Migrant Workers: Employers often lack transparency about the costs involved in recruiting migrant labor, leading to hidden or inflated expenses being passed on to workers
- Transparency in Employment Contracts: Workers are frequently provided with contracts that are unclear, inconsistent or written in languages they do not understand, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation
- Eliminating Recruitment Fees: Despite international standards prohibiting such fees, many workers are still charged recruitment costs, putting them at financial risk before they even begin employment
Stronger Together addresses these challenges through continuous improvement initiatives and a management systems approach, helping companies identify and mitigate vulnerabilities in their labor supply chains regardless of where they sit in the labor chain.
For example, our training programs, including thematic sessions on Responsible Recruitment, and online and offline tools, equip organizations with the skills and knowledge to address critical labor risks effectively while simultaneously building capacity within internal teams to implement and sustain these practices. Additionally, we emphasize building supply chain partnerships in all our materials. By prioritizing ethical recruitment and fair treatment, we assist organizations in building resilient, responsible, and sustainable operations from the very start.
For growers working through the ECIP self-assessment, how can Stronger Together’s training support their journey?
Stronger Together’s tools and resources have been carefully mapped to all of the management systems within the Ethical Charter. Growers working through the ECIP self-assessment can use our free tools at every stage. A key resource is the Responsible Recruitment and Fair Work Toolkit for Employers in U.S. Fresh Produce, now part of the Advanced Engagement Star.
Within the toolkit, businesses will find a practical checklist with clear, actionable step-by-step guidance to embed responsible recruitment and ethical labor practices – if you are not sure how to get started or want to review and strengthen existing systems, this is your go-to resource. Presented in a management systems format, it offers a user-friendly approach to human rights due diligence. Alongside this, it introduces essential concepts and has a suite of template resources that can be easily adopted and tailored to an individual company.
Are there any trainings or initiatives that would be particularly relevant for ECIP participants?
Yes, we have several relevant training sessions and initiatives designed to support ECIP participants, for example:
- Eliminating Worker-Paid Recruitment Fees
- Labor Supply Chain Due Diligence and Partnerships
- Fair, Equal & Dignified Opportunity and Treatment
- Activate Responsible Recruitment in Your Supply Chain – U.S. Fresh Produce
- Ensuring Effective Workplace Grievance Mechanisms
- No Child Labor Training
For organizations working specifically in farm labor contracting (FLCs) and recruitment, we recommend that they explore membership in the American Association of Ag Labor Providers (AAALP). Launched earlier this year by Stronger Together US, AAALP is the first and only national association dedicated to supporting FLCs and recruiters through education and community-building.