The Ethical Charter Implementation Program has launched an updated version of its digital assessment platform, introducing revised evaluation criteria for labor practices across the fresh produce and floral supply chain.
The update, designated as Engagement 3.0, modifies the self-assessment framework used by agricultural suppliers and growers to track compliance with the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices.
Program details and platform access are available at ethicalcharterprogram.org/engagement3.
Administered by the nonprofit Equitable Food Initiative with funding from the Walmart Foundation, the platform allows companies to document internal labor management and ethical recruitment practices without requiring formal third-party audits.
Under the revised system, suppliers invite growers to complete self-evaluations and create internal action plans to track compliance over time. Aggregated participation data is then compiled into profiles accessible to retail buyers through a centralized dashboard.
Following the program’s launch on July 22, EFI says it has frozen retail buyer dashboards to give growers and suppliers time to complete updated self-assessments. The platform will unfreeze on Sept. 15 with updated supplier engagement profiles based on the Engagement 3.0 criteria and grower and supplier activity since July 22.
Suppliers seeking inclusion in the 2027 ECIP Leadership Circle must meet the updated criteria by Oct. 1.
The program is overseen by an advisory group comprising major produce suppliers and national retailers, including Costco Wholesale, Kroger, McDonald’s USA, Target and Walmart.
