How is ETI membership different from the audit and certification schemes we already use?

Audit and certification schemes — SMETA, SA8000, BSCI and others — serve an important function: they provide a common language and a baseline check against recognised standards. ETI membership is not a replacement for these tools, but it operates at a fundamentally different level.

Where audit schemes ask "does this supplier currently meet the standard?", ETI asks "how do we build supply chains where workers' rights are genuinely respected — and what needs to change, at every level, to get there?"  That includes not just supplier practices but purchasing decisions, buyer behaviour, industry norms and policy environments. It's a much broader approach and a more honest set of frameworks.

ETI members also gain something no certification scheme can offer: active participation in a tripartite community of companies, NGOs and trade unions working together on shared challenges. That means access to ground-level intelligence from organisations working directly with workers, honest peer exchange with other leading companies, and the credibility that comes from being held accountable — not just to a checklist, but to a genuine community of practice.

If your audit programme is telling you what the problems are, ETI membership helps you understand why they persist — and what it actually takes to address them.

Learn more about ETI membership and what it involves