A signed supplier code, shared industry assessments and on-site audits, human-rights due diligence beyond tier one, and a corrective-action process with an exit at the end of it.
Distribution’s sustainability risk is concentrated upstream. We do not operate the reactors, the mines or the plantations at the start of most of our supply chains, which is precisely why our influence matters. We choose who gets an order.
Onboarding requires signature of the supplier code of conduct, which covers labour and human rights, health and safety, environmental management, business ethics and the right to audit. Strategic suppliers then move into shared industry assessment through Together for Sustainability, so a producer is evaluated once and recognised by every member rather than answering the same questionnaire twenty times.
Findings are not filed and forgotten. Every major non-conformance opens a corrective-action plan with a date; failure to close it removes the supplier from the approved list, and we tell the affected customers what changed.
No purchase order without a signed code, a completed self-assessment and a documented risk screen covering country, sector and substance risk.
Shared TfS assessments and audits for strategic suppliers, with our own site visits where a category carries higher risk or where a finding needs verifying in person.
Risk-based due diligence to tier two for critical inputs, mapped against forced-labour and child-labour indicators, with a grievance channel open to workers in the chain.
Certain inputs get enhanced scrutiny: conflict-affected minerals, palm derivatives, cobalt, and any material where provenance is hard to establish. Enhanced means documented origin, not a supplier assurance.
A finding opens a plan with an owner and a closing date. Repeat or unresolved major findings end the relationship, and we hold qualified alternates so ending it does not stop your line.
Code signature, self-assessment and risk screen before the first order is placed.
Shared TfS assessment scored and gaps recorded against the category risk profile.
On-site audit for higher risk or unresolved findings, conducted by accredited auditors.
Corrective action with a closing date, then re-verification or removal.
A product carbon footprint, a supplier audit status, a substitution study, or a completed customer ESG questionnaire. We answer within two working days and name the person handling it.