top of page

The latest from RCP

September 3, 2024 - RCP and the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP) launched the Tea Sector Model Clauses (TMCs) to help buyers, relevant intermediaries, and producers in the tea sector implement their commitment to responsible business conduct through responsible contracting.

The Mission

The mission of the Responsible Contracting Project (RCP) is to improve human rights in global supply chains through innovative contracting practices. We develop and disseminate practical contractual tools to support more cooperative relations between supply chain firms and better human rights outcomes for workers.

Our interdisciplinary team of experts works hand in hand with various stakeholders—businesses, industry associations, investors, policymakers, civil society organizations, and transparency initiatives—to socialize our Responsible Contracting Toolkit (“the RCP Toolkit”) and facilitate the integration of its three core principles into supply chain contracting practices and processes.

The RCP Toolkit advances a major shift in contract design to align more closely with the principles of human rights due diligence (HRDD) enshrined in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct (OECD Guidance). The Toolkit, along with our guidance on its implementation, is made freely available here.

 

With human rights and labor practices coming under increasing regulatory scrutiny, particularly in the E.U. and the U.S., new tools are needed to effectively prevent and address adverse human rights impacts in global supply chains. The responsible contracting approach, which promotes shared responsibility principles, focuses on improving the role of contracts in this process.

Latest News

"Neque porro quisquam est qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit..."

Check out the latest from RCP

Add paragraph text. Click “Edit Text” to update the font, size and more. To change and reuse text themes, go to Site Styles.

Background and History

RCP was co-founded in 2022 by Sarah Dadush and Olivia Windham Stewart, leading members of the American Bar Association Business Law Section Working Group to Draft Model Contract Clauses to Protect Human Rights in International Supply Chains (the ABA Working Group). The ABA Working Group published the Model Contract Clauses 2.0 (the MCCs 2.0) and the Responsible Purchasing Code of Conduct (the Buyer Code) in the Spring of 2021. Since then, the RCP team has been working to develop and support the uptake of new responsible contracting tools in line with our core principles.

Our work is made possible thanks to the generous support provided by the Laudes Foundation, Open Society Foundations, GIZ, and our pro bono counsels, Allens, Goodwin Procter, and Linklaters.

RCP is housed within Rutgers Law School’s Center for Corporate Law and Governance.

The Latest from RCP -

September 3, 2024 - RCP and the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP) launched the Tea Sector Model Clauses (TMCs) to help buyers, relevant intermediaries, and producers in the tea sector implement their commitment to responsible business conduct through responsible contracting.

Have questions? Want to learn more?

Find out more​

The Principles

An overview of the Responsible Contracting Principles for upholding human rights throughout supply chains

Learn more

Learn more

The Toolkit

Explore the RCP Toolkit which currently includes the EMCs, the SMCs, the MCCs and the Buyer Code

Learn more

Where you can learn about our past and upcoming events, publications, and podcasts

The Latest From RCP

9.3.24 - RCP and the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP) launched the Tea Sector Model Clauses (TMCs).
Click to learn more

bottom of page