The Tea Sector Model Clauses (TMCs)
The Tea Sector Model Clauses (TMCs) are designed to help tea companies and producers implement their commitment to responsible business conduct. They are aligned with the core principles of Responsible Contracting.
RCP prepared the TMCs in collaboration with members of the ETP (formerly Ethical Tea Partnership) and with input from civil society partners. The clauses are intended to provide guiding principles to ETP members and other actors operating across the tea sector, in particular, the growing number of tea enterprises that seek to distinguish themselves as responsible actors.
The TMCs and the Framing Memo, an accompanying guide that complements the implementation of the TMCs, will also help buyers, suppliers, and their partners align with evolving legal standards on human rights and environmental due diligence (HREDD). While companies cannot expect to meet the requirements of new regulations, such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), by adding clauses to their contracts alone, responsible contracts are a critical component of an effective due diligence process.
Latest News
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May 1 — RCP published a new analysis of the CSDDD and contracting in light of Omnibus I on the Oxford Business Law Blog: Moving Toward Shared Responsibility: How the EU’s CSDDD and Omnibus I Reimagine Contracting for Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence. Also available as a PDF.
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April 27 — RCP Director Sarah Dadush and Senior Advisor John Sherman co-authored an essay for Shift's series marking the 15th anniversary of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), titled, From Social Norm to Legal Practice: Fifteen Years of Integrating the UNGPs into Business Law.
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April 9 — RCP has launched its latest tool, the Responsible Contracting in Spice Supply Chains Guidance, developed in collaboration with the Sustainable Spice Initiative (SSI).
Events
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May 2026 — Check back soon for updates!
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