Both growers and suppliers earn stars in their engagement profile through engaging with ECIP LAB. Suppliers earn a favorable engagement profile as they better align with the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices by both addressing their own management systems and supporting their growers in strengthening theirs. Grower stars are visible to their suppliers, and supplier stars are visible to their retailers. Suppliers can use the tools outlined below to grow their engagement profile and earn more stars.
Watch this short demo for a walkthrough of the ECIP engagement profile, from grower to Buyer Dashboard:
How to Improve Your Engagement Profile
Hold an Active Supplier LAB Subscription
Maintaining an active subscription in ECIP LAB earns suppliers a single star in the engagement profile.
Supply Chain Onboarding
This star is awarded when an accurate number of growers in the supply chain is reported and a significant percentage of the growers currently hold an active ECIP Grower LAB subscription.
Supply Chain Engagement
This star is automatically awarded when a majority of growers in the supplier’s network have earned two or more stars in ECIP Grower LAB or the gold certification star.
Supplier Assessment & Endorsement
Two steps are required to earn this star. First, a supplier must officially endorse the Ethical Charter through the International Fresh Produce Association website. Second, the ECIP Supplier LAB assessment must be completed.
Gold Star
Note: suppliers must earn all 4 green stars before being awarded the gold star. Suppliers earn this star by verifying their total number of qualified growers using either payment system records or food safety documents, updating the Company Profile and attesting that the process is complete. To learn more read the Supplier Gold Star page.