About the Initiative
The Responsible Purchasing Initiative seeks to learn from and improve how international sourcing from developing countries contributes to international sustainable development.
We work in collaboration to stimulate debate with:
- Companies about how to improve their buying practices from low cost countries as well as to their key influencers
- Governments on how to create a business operating environment that supports business’ contribution to the respect of international human rights
- Consumers
- Investors on the issues the companies they are investing in are facing when importing from newly industrialising countries
- Trade and professional associations to help them provide best practice advice to their members
Who are we?
The Responsible Purchasing Initiative is co-ordinated by three European fair trade organisations, IDEAS, Oxfam-Wereldwinkels, and Traidcraft. We share a commitment to fighting poverty through trade and seek to influence conventional trade policies and practices constructively to also improve their impacts on developing countries.
We trade ourselves
Our organisations have more than twenty-five years of practical experience of sourcing products from farmers, producers and factories from more than one hundred countries. We pay a fair price and provide our suppliers with long-term structural support, where requested. All food, interior accessories, clothing and gift products are made with respect for the environment and good working conditions. We are all members of International Fair Trade Association (IFAT) and European Fair Trade Association (EFTA).
Why are we doing this now?
For a number of years we have worked with the commercial sector to help improve the impact of sourcing from overseas. This has often involved working on corporate social responsibility initiatives, including codes of conducts for suppliers, social reporting, and private standards. Recent learning from this work has identified the importance of working with professional sourcing managers and buyers to understand how they can purchase in a manner which enables and supports poverty reducing outcomes. We do not intend to convert future purchases to Fairtrade but seek to highlight the elements of sourcing practices which lead to positive international development outcomes.