The common framework for responsible purchasing practices:  

The common framework provides an outline of RPPs, to support companies to engage with stakeholders and take practical action to create an enabling environment for good labour standards in their supply chains. It breaks down the broad subject of purchasing practices into five overarching principles, a ‘common language’ by which to structure effective implementation.  

The original common framework was developed by the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI),Ethical Trade Norway, Fair Wear, the German Partnership for Sustainable Textiles (PST), and the Dutch Agreement for Sustainable Garments (AGT), for the apparel and footwear sector. It was based on an extensive benchmarking of literature on RPPs, collating the themes and content to produce the ‘five principles’, and involved wide stakeholder consultation.   

Following further consultation, ETI developed the common framework for RPPs in food, amending the ‘practices’ under each principle, to be appropriate to the food industry. The industry includes many varied product types, sectors and processes, for which ‘responsible purchasing practices’ may vary (e.g. fresh produce, smallholders, seafood, commodities etc). This framework acts as a core reference document, to provide a common language and structure for discussion and action, after which guidelines for different elements of the industry may be developed. 

• The CFRPP is available for use as a public resource but the IP of the CFRPP remains with the organisations who authored the original framework (the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), Ethical Trade Norway, Fair Wear, the German Partnership for Sustainable Textiles (PST), and the Dutch Agreement for Sustainable Garments (AGT)).  
• The CFRPP acts as a core reference document, to provide a common language and structure for discussion and action towards RPP. Use of the CFRPP to develop further guidelines is encouraged. If you would like to use the CFRPP to develop further guidelines, please first seek approval from the group of organisations who authored the original framework by emailing info@cfrpp.org 
• If you use or reference any content from the CFRPP, or any adaptation of it, you must include the paragraph below in the introduction to your document and within the document itself, to give proper reference to the source.  
• Please keep the structure/sections the same, preferably with the principles in the same order, and keep the full text of the principles, if possible. You may add to or amend the ‘practices’ (possible actions for companies under each ‘principle’ section), to make them relevant to your industry/ product. You should aim to maintain a level of ambition equivalent to the original document and not dilute the requirements for businesses. 
• Please do not use the title ‘Common Framework…’ for your document if you have amended the text/practices and without express permission of the group of organisations who authored the original framework. 
• The amended document cannot use the same branding/colours as the CFRPP without the express permission and involvement of the group of organisations who authored the framework. 

Paragraph to be included in the adapted document’s introduction:  

The structure/ sections and ‘Principles’ of this document are taken from ‘The Common Framework for Responsible Purchasing Practices’ (CFRPP). The CFRPP was developed by the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), Ethical Trade Norway, Fair Wear, the German Partnership for Sustainable Textiles (PST), and the Dutch Agreement for Sustainable Garments (AGT). It was based on an extensive benchmarking of literature on responsible purchasing practices, collating the themes and content to produce the ‘5 principles’, and involved a wide stakeholder consultation. The ‘practices’ in this document have been amended to be appropriate to this industry. The ‘practices’ are provided for guidance and are not formally approved as equivalent to the CFRPP by the organisations listed.

The garment and footwear industries have long been at the forefront of efforts to address responsible purchasing challenges, largely due to external scrutiny and pressure. While unethical practices remain, this scrutiny has been instrumental in driving a greater understanding of responsible practices.

However, manufacturing industries outside of textiles have often received less attention in this area. Running from June 2023 to February 2025, ETI's initiative, funded by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), sought to address this gap by exploring how the principles of the Common Framework for Responsible Purchasing Practices (CFRPP) could be applied to manufacturing sectors and improve human rights outcomes within supply chains.

Over the course of 21 months, ETI assessed manufacturing businesses in improving their purchasing practices and evaluated the effectiveness of the measures implemented. The project engaged diverse stakeholders groups through surveys, group consultations, and direct advocacy with companies, helping to deepen the understanding of how buyers and suppliers engage in purchasing practices and their human rights impacts.

Read about responsible purchasing practices in manufacturing industries

Launched in October 2022, the Learning and Implementation Community (LIC) is an initiative led by a group of organisations working together on RPP. The LIC, comprising clothing retailers and brands, operates as a peer-learning community. Through online workshops, LIC members engage in discussions and collaborative problem-solving with suppliers, working towards fairer relationships and dialogues. The community actively contributes to developing guidelines, case studies, tools, and video resources, sharing valuable insights to benefit the broader industry. 

The collaborating organisations¹ are working closely with the Sustainable Terms of Trade Initiative to ensure that suppliers are part of discussions, which remains essential as steps are taken towards a fairer relationship and dialogue between suppliers and buyers. By supporting practical actions that improve purchasing practices, LIC plays a crucial role in shaping a more sustainable and responsible future for the textile industry. As the initiative progresses, its commitment to collaborative learning and implementation continues to drive positive change in the global textile market. 

¹The group of organisations leading the LIC are the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), Ethical Trade Norway, Fair Wear, Partnership for Sustainable Textiles and Solidaridad. The LIC is funded by the Initiative for Global Solidarity (IGS) implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperationand Development) and the Sustainable Textile Initiative: Together for Change (STITCH) (supported by the Dutch Government).