What ETI's Corporate Transparency Framework Requires of Company Members

ETI company members are required to publish their Tier 1 suppliers, and ETI now publishes members' performance against the full Corporate Transparency Framework. In short, the framework turns transparency from a one-off supplier list into an ongoing, comparable account of how a company is progressing on human rights in its supply chains. It applies to company members of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), the alliance of businesses, NGOs and trade unions described on ethicaltrade.org.

What members must publish

The page evidence supports two distinct disclosure obligations:

The first is a member obligation; the second is how ETI makes member performance visible. The site does not set out the full list of framework indicators, reporting deadlines, or the exact format of supplier disclosures, so treat those details as things to confirm directly with ETI rather than assume.

Why the framework exists

ETI frames transparency as part of a broader credibility argument. Its stated benefits of membership include "credibility that counts" — being part of a tripartite alliance "trusted by investors, regulators and civil society" — and "proven frameworks, not paperwork." Publishing suppliers and performance is the mechanism that makes those claims checkable rather than asserted.

The framework also connects to ETI's impact reporting. Its "Driving Responsible Business: Our impact 2024-25" summary describes work on three fronts: facilitating an enabling environment, driving progression and accountability, and collaborating for impact. Publishing member performance sits squarely in the "progression and accountability" strand.

How stakeholders can use the published information

• Buyers and peers can compare how companies at similar stages are progressing, since performance is published against the same framework rather than each company's own format.
• Investors and regulators get a signal of whether a company's human rights commitment is substantive; ETI positions the alliance as a benchmark for "authentic commitment to human rights."
• NGOs and trade unions can see which Tier 1 suppliers a member has disclosed and hold the company to its stated trajectory.
• Companies considering membership can review existing disclosures to judge what joining would require of them.

Practical caveats

Publishing a Tier 1 supplier list is a floor, not a full map of risk: deeper tiers and raw-material origins are not covered by the Tier 1 requirement as described. And because ETI publishes performance itself, the framework is less about self-reported marketing and more about third-party visibility — which is why the "continuous improvement with expert support" benefit matters: members are expected to move along clear pathways at their own pace, with guidance, training and peer learning.

For the specific indicators, reporting cycle and submission process, check ETI's own framework pages or contact the secretariat; the public homepage summarises the obligation but not its operational detail.