Who we are

ETI is a leading alliance of trade unions, NGOs, and companies, working together to advance human rights in global supply chains. 

We convene and collaborate with key stakeholders to improve business transparency and accountability and bring about positive change. A critical friend, ETI provides practical solutions to end the abuse of human rights at work, to make workers’ lives, and business, better. 

Our vision is of a world of work that protects human rights, ensures dignity for all, provides opportunity and is free of exploitation and abuse. 

Our mission is to advocate for the most vulnerable workers, by harnessing the power of a diverse and growing membership. Through collaboration and innovation, ETI works to drive engagement, challenge barriers to change and ensure respect for human rights at work. 

Background  

Pioneering companies, NGOs and trade unions established ETI in 1998 to promote fundamental human rights in global supply chains.   

Global reach 

Since, our membership has grown to include companies, NGOs and trade unions spanning various countries and sectors including apparel and textiles, food, farming and fishers and general merchandise. Our NGO members bring global presence, specialist insights, tools and resources to ETI's membership. Our international trade unions represent 160m workers globally, in all countries where free trade unions can operate. 

ETI has offices in Bangladesh and India, providing local expertise and support to members sourcing from those regions.

We have strategic alliances with a broad range of key global stakeholders: institutions such as the UN, ILO, OECD, and other multi-stakeholder initiatives such as STITCH, TIWW, Fair Wear Foundation and ETI partner organisations in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden.

We work through three essential pathways to bring about change: 

1. Driving progression and accountability 

  • We support members to progress in their human rights due diligence and public reporting through ETI’s internal frameworks, based on the UNGPs and in alignment with existing and emerging legislation. 

2. Collaborating for impact

  • We take collective action with members to address issues that cannot be resolved by any one actor alone.  

3. Facilitating an enabling environment

  • We work with members to influence the policy and regulatory environment that enables responsible business and effective action by all along the supply chain. 

Our work is carried out in alignment with our Theory of Change and ETI’s Strategy 2026:

The links between our activities and interventions, and the outcomes and impact that we seek to achieve.

For human rights, for better business. Our vision, mission, aims, and strategic goals.

How, and where, is ETI driving change?

ETI company members publish their Tier 1 suppliers – a requirement of our Corporate Transparency Framework. We will be publishing their performance against the framework in 2025.