How can we ensure that our customers and suppliers respect the same standards as we do? By incorporating ethics and CSR into our purchasing and sales processes. Read on to learn more.
Human rights and fundamental freedoms, health and safety, serious environmental damage, etc. These are all issues that the Group has made the focus of its CSR approach. But what about its customers and suppliers? How can we ensure that they respect and uphold the same standards? To meet this challenge, as part of its Vigilance Plan Eramet has reviewed its organization and set up two committees since 2017: a Purchasing Committee, which oversees suppliers, service providers and subcontractors; and a Sales Committee, which focuses on current and prospective customers.
Every two months or ad hoc, these committees meet to review the Group’s business partners in order to assess any identified risks, particularly concerning their ethical and CSR practices, and to approve the establishment or continuation of a business relationship.
Nicole SOURGENS
Eramet Group’s Director of Ethics and Compliance
This approach is a positive one: our ultimate goal is to create a virtuous circle, specifically through the sharing of best practices. That’s why the whole approach is based on a spirit of collaboration and co-construction between the company’s various functions and our customers and suppliers.
The Purchasing and Sales Committees involve several different entities within the company: Ethics & Compliance, Legal, Sales and ESG Departments, and even representatives from Customs and from the different Divisions. “Having everyone in the same room creates a synergy of skills, which is what makes this process so effective. It is also the perfect opportunity to resolve any sticking points more quickly,” adds Nicole Sourgens. The work of these committees is monitored on several levels (control, internal audititting) and assessed by means of the KPIs that are part of the Group’s CSR roadmap.
In 2019, in addition to its anti-corruption reference documents (Ethics Charter, Anti-corruption policy and guidelines), the Group also adopted a Human Rights policy. It sets out Eramet’s various commitments, including respect for human rights in relation to business partners (customers, suppliers, subcontractors and partners), with a view to developing a responsible value chain.
A supplier code of conduct was also created in july 2021, enabling all our suppliers and subcontractors – who are regularly trained by the Ethics & Compliance teams on these themes – to sign up to the Eramet Group’s CSR and ethical standards.
