Responsible Purchasing Practices (RPP) resource hub

Get ready to explore responsible purchasing practices 

This resource is designed to help you understand how your company’s commercial decisions affect supply chain partners and workers, and to support you in making sustainable improvements. 

Purchasing practices are the actions and decisions your company makes when buying from suppliers. That includes everything from design and product development to planning, forecasting, contracts, technical specifications, order placement, lead times, cost negotiations, and payment terms.

When these decisions are made responsibly, they can have a positive impact on the human rights of workers across your supply chain. But right now, that’s not always the case. Many businesses still use purchasing practices that cause harm—such as cancellations, delayed payments, and last-minute changes. These can lead to forced overtime, harassment, and other poor working conditions. Even practices that seem routine, like long payment terms or excessive sampling, can put pressure on suppliers and affect workers.

This resource is a flexible library of video clips, tools, and exercises you can dip into whenever you need. It’s here to support you in making purchasing decisions that are fair, thoughtful, and aligned with your company’s values.

Making your purchasing practices more responsible means your work can be a force for good. It also brings practical benefits, helping suppliers become more stable and resilient, which in turn supports a more reliable supply chain for your business. Improvements like streamlining sampling, forecasting, and sign-off can also lead to greater efficiency. And reviewing your practices is a key part of meeting new Human Rights Due Diligence legislation.

This could be one of the most transformational things you do in your role, with the potential to make a real difference in people’s lives around the world.