EthicallySupports

Ethicallysupports is a framework and movement that promotes responsible and dignified assistance across economic and non-profit sectors. It focuses on ensuring that support to communities, workers, and beneficiaries is provided in ways that respect rights, consent, and long-term well-being, rather than short-term gains.

Origin and development: While not tied to a single organization, the term emerged in academic and civil society discourse in the early 2010s, coalescing around a set of principles for evaluating philanthropic giving, corporate sponsorship, and supplier engagement.

Standards and certification: At its core are a code of conduct emphasizing transparency, stakeholder participation, non-exploitative practices, fair compensation, and safeguarding of privacy and safety. The EthicallySupports Certification program evaluates program design, impact, governance, and due diligence. Certified entities publish annual impact reports and may display the certification.

Operations: Governance consists of a multi-stakeholder council, including NGOs, industry associations, community representatives, and researchers. Activities include auditing, capacity-building, and a shared online registry of certified entities.

Criticism and reception: Critics argue that the framework can be costly for small actors, risk of bureaucratic burden, potential for inconsistent audits, or greenwashing if not rigorous.

Impact and examples: Some consumer brands adopt the framework for supplier engagement; philanthropic funders use it for grantmaking.

Related terms include corporate social responsibility, impact investing, supply chain ethics, and ethical consumerism.