ETI is an alliance of companies, trade unions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Our tripartite approach to addressing workers' rights also permeates our working structures and governance.

Corporate, trade union and NGO members play equal parts in shaping ETI's policy and strategy and participating in our projects and working groups. Well-defined working and governance structures ensure effective debate among our 80-plus members and representative decision-making.

The ETI Board

The ETI Board, derived from our membership, has overall responsibility for ETI's policy, strategy and resource management. Board members are elected to represent companies, trade unions and NGOs respectively. In turn, Board members elect an independent Chair. The Board meets quarterly. One of its key roles is to review corporate members' ethical trade performance - read more about what companies sign up to.

Caucus groups

We have four caucus groups, each representing members with a common interest:

Food group: all the member companies involved in the retail and/or supply of food products.

General Merchandise (GM) Group: all member companies involved in the retail and/or supply of general merchandise (non-food) products.

Trade union caucus: all three of our member trade union organisations, together with representatives from selected affiliate unions involved in ETI activities.

NGO caucus: all ETI's member NGO organisations. 

Caucus groups meet every quarter. The purpose of the meetings is to help shape ETI policies and priorities, whether in relation to issues of common concern to group members or in response to requests from the ETI Secretariat for feedback, and to share experience, information and views. Each group's different priorities and interests are fed into Board decision-making.

Projects and working groups

Our members not only contribute to the development of new policies and strategies through their respective caucus groups, but are also actively involved in virtually all ETI activities. For example, our project and working groups, each designed to tackle a critical aspect of ethical trade, are usually managed by tripartite groups of members, with support from the ETI Secretariat. These groups meet regularly to review progress on the initiative concerned, and to agree and plan next steps. Read more about ETI projects

The ETI Secretariat

Under the Board's oversight, the ETI Secretariat develops strategies and policies, manages projects and working groups, provides advice to member companies and holds them to account. It develops resources and training and organises events in consultation with members, liaises with a wide range of external organisations and carries out communications activities.