What challenges do you face when defining sustainability criteria with your business partners?
Implementing sustainability criteria still requires lots of education and persuasion. Our suppliers are, of course, aware that sustainability has become too important to ignore. But the time, money and resources involved in document management are considerably high if you’re looking to reposition your company in keeping with sustainable goals. We are thorough whenever we onboard new suppliers for our sustainability range. That includes us asking for proof of certifications and holding lots of briefings. This commitment level pays off. The high demand for our sustainable products reflects just that. The strict criteria result in better quality and credibility with our buyers. That’s why we need to draw attention to the added value involved.
The Supply Chain Act will come into force in Germany next year. But even across Europe, ethical supply chains are becoming increasingly important. How are you preparing for that?
We’ve been committed to upholding human rights for several years now. For instance, we support the UN’s Global Initiative. We also have a whistle-blower hotline. Now we encourage people to use it to report any violations against the Supply Chain Act. This way, we can make sure we uphold our human rights and environmental due diligence. We also use a tool to identify supply-chain-related issues and avoid them when they occur. It allows us to track country and sector-specific risks. Sustainability has become part of our long-term strategic cooperation with our suppliers. We always strive to improve our suppliers’ sustainability performance along the supply chain. Independent certifications such as the EcoVadis rating are very helpful in doing so.
How do you deal with today’s volatile market? Is it your extensive experience and sustainable approach that make you more competitive?
Indeed, recent months have shown us that companies with a sustainability strategy can cope with the current crisis better than those without. These companies can take care of their energy supplies with their photovoltaic plants or other resources. Plus, companies that focus their supply chains on Germany and Europe have fewer delivery problems than market players that source from Asia or other parts of the world. Moreover, we’re committed to long-term partnerships. More than 75% of our suppliers have been working with us for over ten, most of them for over 20 years. So, we’re confident that together with our suppliers and business partners, we’ll be able to continue supplying our customers sustainably.
