The Better Buying Purchasing Practices Index (BBPPI) Methodology
The BBPPI uses a 0 to 100 point scoring system to calculate overall scores and scores for each purchasing practices category, with a larger number indicating better purchasing practices.
After scoring each question and category with a proprietary scoring methodology, the star “grading” is applied to the scores. The table below shows how stars are awarded to buyers, both overall and by category, according to the scores achieved by that buyer.
The same “grading standards” are applied to each category score, and to the overall weighted score.
Not all categories are weighted equally. The table below shows the weighting distribution for each purchasing practices category as a percentage of the overall score for each buyer.
The Better Buying Partnership Index (BBPI) Methodology
The BBPI methodology is based on Net Promoter Scoring (NPS), a widely used market research metric to measure customer experience. The possible range of BBPI Score is from -100 to +100, with -100 being the lowest partnership score, and +100 the highest.
The BBPI defines 3 BBPI categories of buyer: True Partners, Collaborators, and Detractors. Suppliers score their buyer on a scale of 1-5 on 12 partnership performance questions, where 1 is “never”, and 5 is “all of the time.”. Each of the 12 questions track back to the BBI Five Principles of Responsible Purchasing: time; visibility; stability; fair financials, and; shared responsibility.
The percentage of responses scoring the buyer as a True Partner for each of the 12 questions is averaged across all the 12 questions to get a True Partner percentage for that buyer, with the same process being used to calculate Collaborator, and Detractor percentages.
The percentage of Detractors is subtracted from the percentage of True Partners to derive the overall BBPI Score, rounded to the nearest whole number.
The higher the percentage of responses scoring the buyer as a True Partner, the better will be the buyer’s BBPI Score. A BBPI Score closer to 100 means that the buyer’s work and use of time is efficient and non-duplicative; their partnerships with their suppliers are marked with fairness, risk-sharing, and a long-term focus. A negative BBPI score means that a higher percentage of responses scored the buyer as a Detractor as compared to a True Partner.
A BBPI Score closer to -100 means that the buyer’s practices reflect a primary focus on achieving their own objectives and margins (often at the expense of suppliers), and this prevents open dialogue and blinds Detractors to opportunities for shared benefit.
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Companies interested in subscribing for the BBPI or BBPPI should contact Leonie Abraham, Director of Business Development, Cascale Better Buying.
More on Better Buying
The Better Buying Partnership Index (BBPI) is a short, anonymous, subjective survey of the quality of buyer-supplier partnerships, consisting of 12 subjective questions, which opens for supplier ratings on October 1, 2025.
The Better Buying Purchasing Practices Index is a detailed deep dive into a buyer company’s Tier 1 purchasing practices, which opens for supplier ratings on April 1, 2025.
Cascale’s acquisition of Better Buying tools and methodologies reflects our commitment to advancing responsible purchasing practices and promoting fair, accountable, and socially just supply chains.
Better Buying Partnership Index (BBPI)
Strengthening buyer-supplier relationships through transparent feedback
The Better Buying Partnership Index (BBPI) is a short, anonymous survey that helps suppliers evaluate the quality of their relationships with buyer companies. In just 10 minutes, suppliers can rate buyers on factors that impact trust, efficiency, and long-term partnership.
The BBPI is part of Cascale’s Better Buying and aims to strengthen ethical and responsible purchasing across global supply chains, supporting the organization’s Support Decent Work for All strategic pillar.
What is BBPI?
Launched each year on October 1, the Better Buying Partnership Index (BBPI) is a 12-question survey built on the core principles of responsible purchasing. It gives suppliers a simple, secure way to provide feedback on their buyer relationships.
Suppliers anonymously rate their buyers on a scale of 1–5 using Net Promoter Scoring, with buyers classified as True Partners, Collaborators, or Detractors. The survey is quick and easy—it takes just 10 minutes per buyer to complete.
Each company receives a BBPI score (from -100 to +100), offering a clear, data-driven snapshot of partnership quality. These insights help suppliers and buyers identify strengths, address challenges, and improve how they work together.
Why the BBPI Matters
Stronger partnerships lead to better planning, fewer disruptions, and more resilient supply chains.
Suppliers anonymously share how buyer behavior impacts performance, wages, and sustainability efforts.
Buyers use BBPI results to understand supplier needs and track improvements year over year.
This report offers a data-driven view of how suppliers experience buyers’ purchasing practices across the apparel supply chain. It draws on findings from the fifth annual Better Buying Partnership Index (BBPI) rating cycle and amplifies anonymized supplier feedback to highlight what is working and where improvement is still needed.
Your feedback plays a vital role in improving purchasing practices and building stronger, more sustainable partnerships across the industry.
Benefits of participating:
What to expect:
Join a growing community of brands and retailers committed to building stronger, more sustainable supplier partnerships.
As a subscriber, you’ll receive:
Subscribing to the Better Buying demonstrates a clear commitment to responsible sourcing and continuous improvement—both to your suppliers and your stakeholders.
Get Involved
Companies interested in subscribing for the BBPI should contact Katie Hess.
Learn More About Better Buying
For years, industry focus was on cost, speed, and efficiency. That hasn’t gone away, but it’s no longer enough.
Apparel brands still don’t give suppliers sufficient notice periods and lead times. A due diligence approach should include better long-term planning and collaboration with suppliers.
This report offers a data-driven view of how suppliers experience buyers’ purchasing practices across the apparel supply chain. It draws on findings from the fifth annual Better Buying Partnership Index (BBPI) rating cycle and amplifies anonymized supplier feedback to highlight what is working and where improvement is still needed.
Better Buying Purchasing Practices Index (BBPPI)
Fully anonymous for suppliers, dive deeper into responsible purchasing practices. Submit ratings by May 31, 2026.
The Better Buying Purchasing Practices Index (BBPPI) is a comprehensive survey that evaluates how buyer companies’ Tier 1 purchasing practices impact suppliers. Developed in close collaboration with suppliers, the BBPPI highlights practices that support sustainable, profitable, and fair supply chain partnerships.
Buyer companies must subscribe by March 31. From there, the BBPPI survey opens to suppliers each year April 1-May 31.
What Does the BBPPI Measure?
The BBPPI evaluates seven key purchasing practices that have the greatest impact on suppliers’ ability to operate efficiently, ethically, and sustainably. Each category reflects what suppliers say matters most to their long-term success and fair treatment.
Assesses how clearly and consistently buyers communicate their order plans in advance.
Evaluates whether pricing covers all production needs, including design details and fair worker compensation.
Measures if suppliers are paid on time and in full, according to agreed contract terms.
Looks at the accuracy and timeliness of technical details, and whether suppliers are fairly included in product development.
Explores how buyers incentivize compliance and manage order fluctuations from month to month.
Checks whether buyers allow sufficient, stable production time and stick to agreed timelines.
Examines buyers’ internal alignment on social goals and efforts to reduce audit duplication.
Why Suppliers Participate
Your insights are essential to improving how brands and retailers do business.
By rating your buyers, you help:
What Buyers Receive
Companies that subscribe to the BBPPI receive:
These insights can also support due diligence and ESG reporting, and help align teams internally—from sourcing to sustainability to the C-suite.
Subscriber companies are encouraged to use the results to spark internal learning, guide supplier collaboration, and build a company-wide culture of responsible purchasing.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Whether you’re a supplier ready to share your voice, or a brand looking to lead on responsible purchasing—BBPPI is your starting point.
Purchasing practices performance in Apparel, Footwear and Household Textile Supply Chains.
Learn more about Better Buying
Learn about the methodology behind the Better Buying Purchasing Practices Index (BBPPI) and the Better Buying Partnership Index (BBPI).
The Better Buying Partnership Index (BBPI) is a short, anonymous, subjective survey of the quality of buyer-supplier partnerships, consisting of 12 subjective questions, which opens for supplier ratings on October 1, 2025.
Cascale’s acquisition of Better Buying tools and methodologies reflects our commitment to advancing responsible purchasing practices and promoting fair, accountable, and socially just supply chains.
Better Buying
Scaling impactful solutions for responsible purchasing practices. Utilizing key assets developed by the Better Buying Institute, Cascale’s acquisition of Better Buying tools and methodologies reflects our commitment to advancing responsible purchasing practices and promoting fair, accountable, and socially just supply chains.
Why Better Buying?
Justice is not up for debate. It’s time to move beyond fragmented efforts and drive collective action to support decent work for all. The Better Buying tools empower brands, retailers, and manufacturers to embed responsible purchasing practices into their operations, making fair business relationships the industry norm.
By integrating Better Buying’s proven tools into Cascale’s ecosystem, we move responsible purchasing practices from voluntary commitments to measurable, data-driven progress—ensuring that accountability and transparency become foundational to sustainable business relationships.
Better Buying Interest Form
Want to learn more? Complete the form to find out how a Better Buying subscription can help your organization drive progress in responsible purchasing practices.
Fair Purchasing Practices
Unfair purchasing practices—such as last-minute order changes, delayed payments, and below-cost pricing—destabilize supply chains and harm both manufacturers and workers. The Better Buying tools and methodologies equip companies with supplier-driven insights to improve purchasing practices, supply chain resilience, and labor conditions. By supporting fairer, more transparent buyer-supplier relationships, Better Buying is helping to build a stronger, more responsible industry.
Better Buying Tools
An annual anonymous survey that collects business supplier data to present detailed analysis of brand and retailer purchasing practices and areas for improvement. Brands and retailers needed to have subscribed by March 31 to participate in this year’s ratings cycle. Suppliers can register now to complete the survey.
A short anonymous survey that enables year-round progress monitoring, as well as identification of problem areas and analysis of emerging trends.
Ratings cycle opens on October 1st.
Business Benefits for Subscribers
For improved pricing, fewer delays, and better on-time delivery
For more responsive and resilient supply chains and less disruption and fewer reputational risks
To demonstrate progress and impact
For fewer bottlenecks, reduced costs, better quality and environmental outcomes
For regulatory compliance, improved investor and public relations
Cascale’s global reach and resources provide a powerful platform to scale the impact of Better Buying tools, ensuring their reach extends further than before. By integrating these proven methodologies into Cascale, we can empower companies to strengthen supplier relationships, improve purchasing practices, and drive measurable progress in labor conditions and environmental performance. This transformative step paves the way for a future where buyers and suppliers collaborate more effectively to address shared challenges, from workers’ rights to sustainability, creating lasting systemic change.
The obvious win is that working with Better Buying provides a very clear indication to our global partners that we are truly focused on building long-term, sustainable relationships with them, and really want to steer away from business as usual transactional relationships. Our vendor base understands our commitment and that results in them working much more closely with us than if we were purely transactional in approach.
Through our partnership with Better Buying … we annually assess the impact of our purchasing practices on supplier sustainability through a financial, environmental and social lens. We leverage this assessment to better understand how our day-to-day purchasing practices are affecting our suppliers, their workers and the environment.
Further Resources on Better Buying
For years, industry focus was on cost, speed, and efficiency. That hasn’t gone away, but it’s no longer enough.
Apparel brands still don’t give suppliers sufficient notice periods and lead times. A due diligence approach should include better long-term planning and collaboration with suppliers.
This report offers a data-driven view of how suppliers experience buyers’ purchasing practices across the apparel supply chain. It draws on findings from the fifth annual Better Buying Partnership Index (BBPI) rating cycle and amplifies anonymized supplier feedback to highlight what is working and where improvement is still needed.
Purchasing practices performance in Apparel, Footwear and Household Textile Supply Chains.
Cascale Better Buying has opened the fall rating cycle for the Better Buying Partnership Index (BBPI), inviting suppliers and manufacturers to submit feedback to help accelerate responsible purchasing practices across the consumer goods industry.
In this guest blog, Chana Rosenthal, principal and founder, reDesign Consulting, a sustainable business advisory firm, and consultant with the Ethical Denim Council (EDC), and NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business, offers an update on responsible purchasing practices.
