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98% of global retailers require or accept ESCP certification. For over 20 years, we’ve helped businesses build ethical, responsible supply chains.

Since first launching our Worker Helpline in 2010 in China, the service has grown into a confidential, multilingual communication channel made accessible to over 10.4 million workers in China and Vietnam. The service covers everything from wages to workplace safety. The standalone Helpline is part of ESCP's wider Worker Well-Being portfolio which includes employer-funded childcare, through the Family-Friendly Factory program, gender equality initiatives reaching over 25,000 workers, and flexible workplace policies. Compliance should serve people, not just paperwork.

Unlike standard audit programs, ESCP certification means collaboration and support for both suppliers and their buyers. This means greater assurance and widespread retailer acceptance. This alignment reduces audit duplication, raises standards, and produces tangible cost savings. Fewer audits and time saved. That's what certification meant for one of ESCP's factory members in Dongguan.

ESCP's certification process is built with suppliers and buyers, so it stays relevant, rigorous, and reduces risk on the ground. Audit requirements aren't handed down. They're created collaboratively with the people who use them, which means factories are held to standards that reflect what matters to the customers they supply, not a generic template applied across every industry. That collaborative approach is backed by hands-on technical support, not just a pass or fail audit report, which is how ESCP upholds its certification standard of no outstanding non-compliances left on audit. DK, an ESCP buyer member since 2008, credits that ongoing relationship directly: "you can only tackle problems when they arise if you've got a very good ongoing relationship with suppliers, which ESCP helps us to have.

DHL Group employs around 600,000 people across 220+ countries. Measuring ESG performance at that scale is a serious challenge. That's why they turned to ESCP's Social and Environmental Impact Assessments in 2021. "We've always been a responsible business that has a conscience," says Stuart Sumner, former Head of Global Supplier Sustainability at DHL Group. Since joining, DHL Group has used the assessments to strengthen oversight across its supply chain and give suppliers a clear path to improvement.

Sourcing in a complex global market requires more than just a checklist—it requires a dedicated partner. 🤝 The Ethical Supply Chain Program (ESCP) works alongside global retailers to build true supplier capability. Through targeted online and in-person training, progress visits, and practical compliance support, we help your suppliers build the skills they need to stay resilient and compliant. Shift from reactive troubleshooting to proactive capability building.