Establishing collaborative, direct and long-term relationships helps to build transparency and trust with suppliers while reducing commercial risks, for both the supplier and buyer. With long-term relationships, suppliers will be more open to partnering to implement a living wage / living income strategy as a long-term investment.

Communicate expectations

• Share your company targets and policy or commitment to achieve living income and/or wages
• Set up supply chain meetings with representatives from the different stakeholders
• Bring third party facilitators if necessary

Prioritise suppliers with whom you wish to engage in a living wage/income strategy

• Short or least complex supply chains
• Suppliers with whom you have a long-term relationship
• Suppliers open to social dialogue for wage negotiations with workers
• Suppliers that have producer tracking in place

Co-design strategies with suppliers

• Jointly identify good practices and issues with suppliers
• Design specific actions with suppliers
• Engage suppliers to act as learning partners in this process in order to test possible interventions
• Be open to hearing about experienced suppliers’ solutions on strategies