Fostering sustainable business practices
Amfori, the leading global business association for open and sustainable trade, and ITC sign a Memorandum of Understanding
Collaboration is a driving force for sustainability. The International Trade Centre (ITC) and amfori committed to closer cooperation for gender equality, inclusivity, and jointly leveraging their tools and methodologies to support small businesses in their inclusive and sustainable journeys.
amfori enables over 2,400 retailers, importers, brands, and associations from more than 40 countries as well as 42,000 producers in operating successful and responsible businesses to improve the environmental, social and governance performance of their value chains. We do this through offering a robust due diligence programme and focusing on capacity building of our members’ suppliers.
Tools for transparency, gender equality for economic and social growth
ITC's Trade for Sustainable Development Programme (T4SD) and SheTrades initiative provide valuable tools for small businesses.
For instance, transparency is key ingredient for fostering sustainable supply chains. One of ITC's core transparency tools is the Standards Map, and currently amfori and ITC are working together to generate an understanding on the communalities between amforiBSCI and amfori BEPI , and similar monitoring schemes to drive more convergence and sharing of monitoring results. These steps can help support corporate sustainability due diligence and give these small businesses global credit for their efforts.
Moreover, both organizations firmly believe that gender equality is not only a moral imperative but also an essential driver of economic growth, social development, and sustainability. amfori and ITC’s SheTrades Initiative will hence collaborate on knowledge-sharing and advocacy initiatives to raise awareness on fostering gender-responsive procurement and inclusive business practices. The partnership is committed to championing women’s economic empowerment and catalysing transformative change at the global scale.
The cooperation between amfori and ITC is built on a shared vision of inclusive, sustainable practices. The newly signed Memorandum of Understanding will enable the organizations to work closer together and jointly further their adoption in different industries.
