How to Design a Supplier Code of Conduct for Supplier Qualification

May 4, 2021 EcoVadis ‏‏‎

Suppliers’ sustainable business acumen is critical to the success and integrity of sustainable procurement. By developing and enforcing a Supplier Code of Conduct, procurement departments mitigate unwanted risk and support suppliers in maintaining a high level of sustainability integrity. 

Following are important components of a Supplier Code of Conduct: 

  • Systematic coverage across all business units and categories,
  • Mandatory supplier self-assessment questionnaire,
  • Supplier registration process is consolidated in a centralized database and system is linked to sourcing, procure-to-pay and risk modules,
  • Complete qualification and due diligence process in place covering all supplier risk and quality aspects against clear internal quality requirements and external standards e.g. industry specific ISO certifications,
  • Sustainability fields and data points are mandatory and detailed documentation and proof is requested,
  • A dedicated and empowered team is in charge of the validation,
  • Absence or incompleteness of sustainability data points blocks the supplier validation and disables the creation of purchase orders. 
To learn more about defining a clear code of conduct for your suppliers, visit the EcoVadis Academy.

About the Author

EcoVadis ‏‏‎

EcoVadis is the world’s most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings, intelligence and collaborative performance improvement tools for global supply chains. Backed by a powerful technology platform and a global team of domain experts, EcoVadis’ easy-to-use and actionable sustainability scorecards provide detailed insight into environmental, social and ethical risks across 200+ purchasing categories and 175+ countries.

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