Better Buying and Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) will collaborate in Bangladesh to support and promote responsible buying practices within garment industry supply chains. The Better Buying platform gives buyers anonymous ratings from suppliers on seven key aspects of purchasing practices – planning and forecasting, design and development, cost and cost negotiation, sourcing and order placement, payment and terms, management of the purchasing process, and CSR harmonization.

Purchasing practices can negatively impact wages and working conditions in global supply chains. ETI believes Better Buying scores and analysis will serve as an independent method of determining strengths and weaknesses within brands’ procurement cycles. There has been a debate about the impact of buying practices on the ability of suppliers to maintain good labor standards. International retailers and brands can therefore, only gain from this initiative, in terms of underpinning sustainable business for all, building their reputation and improving conditions for workers.

Better Buying and ETI expect the information and analysis that will result from the supplier ratings to help companies understand which purchasing practices are working well and which may benefit from focused efforts to improve. By using Better Buying, brands can identify how their buyers, product developers, and others responsible for bringing product to market can improve their day-to-day business activities, thus helping their suppliers uphold better labor standards.