This was our 19th year in the promotional products industry and as our trading year comes to a close it is a great opportunity to reflect on our achievements in 2014/15. We have continued to embed sustainability and ethicability throughout our supply chain and this is demonstrated through our membership of robust and universally recognised recognition award schemes.
This year we have produced our first UNGC Communication on Progress which can be viewed and downloaded here: https://www.unglobalcompact.org/COPs/active/119961 The United Nations Communication indicates the progress made in implementing the ten principles of the Global Compact as well as its wider goals.
In addition we have produced a whitepaper on Sustainable Procurement – How to begin your journey which is available on request from sharonchilds@sourcing.co.uk
We have upgraded our SEDEX membership from a B member to AB to enable us to increase our transparency throughout the supply chain and we have joined the Associate Auditors Group to help shape best practice in ethical trading and social auditing. We have recently had our case study highlighted on the SEDEX news page http://www.sedexglobal.com/case-study-how-the-sourcing-team-use-smeta-to-drive-supply-chain-sustainability/#more-19050
Finally we are delighted to announce that we have been awarded Silver level on the CIPS Sustainability Index and Gold Level on ECOVADIS. The CIPS sustainability Index is an independent, cross-sector financial, social and environmental supplier audit which rewards excellence in environmental, economic and social sustainability. EcoVadis operates a collaborative platform enabling companies to monitor the Sustainability performance of their suppliers, across 150 sectors and 99 countries. Our recognition award level of gold puts us in the top 5% of suppliers which is a great achievement.
We continue to look at new and innovative ways to engage with our partners, championing transparency in an ethical and sustainable supply chain and hope to see further improvements in the coming year.
Sharon Childs – FD & Head of Sustainability
