The Responsible Contracting Project
RCP’s mission is to drive better outcomes for people and the planet through better, more Responsible Contracts. Responsible Contracts commit both parties—buyers and suppliers—to each do their part to uphold human rights and environmental standards and work together to address problems that arise.
Core Principles of Responsible Contracting
RCP promotes contracts as a key tool for upholding human rights and environmental standards through a shared-responsibility approach—where contracts commit both buyers (e.g., brands and retailers) and suppliers (e.g., farms and factories) to fulfill their individual responsibilities and cooperate to prevent and address harms. Responsible Contracts follow four core principles, known as the “4Rs:"
1) Responsibility for human rights and the environment is shared
2) Responsible purchasing practices
3) Remediation first
4) Responsible exit as a last resort
The RCP Toolkit
The Toolkit contains practical and versatile tools that companies can use to improve the human rights and environmental performance of their contracts and, by extension, their supply chains.
Mentions & Media
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RCP co-founders Sarah Dadush and Olivia Windham Stewart were named sustainability thought leaders in the Vogue Business 2025 100 Innovators list. Read more.
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A Norwegian government report on the 2022 Transparency Act highlights RCP’s work advancing cost-sharing and shared responsibility in human rights due diligence (HRDD). Read more.
Upcoming Events
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Sept. 25 — Senior Legal Advisor Susan Maslow is participating in a webinar "Climate Change in Law Practice: What Every Lawyer Needs to Know," hosted by the American Bar Association (ABA). Learn more.
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Nov. 14, 2025 — Senior Advisor Ben Rutledge will lead a joint session with the Cobalt Institute on responsible contracting at the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) 2025 annual conference in National Harbor, Maryland. Learn more.
RCP News
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