Responsible Supply Chain Management

The CSR Laboratory on Responsible Supply Chain Management aims to promote a cascade of responsible business behaviour in the supply chain by reviewing current practice and helping companies and suppliers to mature supply chain management initiatives.

CSR Europe members and Laboratory participants can access additional information in the members' area. Laboratory participants click here for a Collection of Responsible Supply Chain Management Tools.

Leaders      
Titan Volkswagen AG HP L'Oreal Logo
Facilitators    
CSR Europe BSCI Hellenic Network for CSR

 

Project Description

On the basis of a better understanding of the definitions, standards, laws and local contexts, this Laboratory aims to review the merits and limits of current practice and help companies and suppliers to mature supply chain management initiatives, each in their own spheres of influence.

The company leaders and participants of the Laboratory aim to provide a menu of useful tools and information, for practitioners to select and use according to their needs and interests.

A first need identified is to help large and small companies to cope with the plethora of international standards and principles related to responsible supply chain management - pertaining, for instance, to human rights, labour, environment, health and safety, ethics, etc.

Secondly, the Laboratory acknowledges the importance of supporting supply chain practitioners with hands-on tools which can support them in developing their own CSR policy.

Objectives

  • Through a Portal for RSCM and awareness raising and capability building sessions:
    • Provide practical guidance to practitioners who influence RSCM to better understand, improve and sustain the implementation of social and environmental standards in their daily practice and management systems
    • Reach out to a wider audience of stakeholder organisations who contribute to a more competitive and sustainable enterprise, such as governments, employers' federations, trade unions, NGOs, and academics.

  • The Laboratory does not aim to develop a top down standard for suppliers to comply with, rather it seeks to provide practitioners from all companies with hands on information and materials with which to enhance their ownership and capabilities in the area of sustainable development and CSR.

  • To explore cooperation with local, national and international partners such as the European Commission, the ILO and the UN Global Compact, to further develop and promote wider use of the Portal

Deliverables

  1. Develop a Portal for Responsible Supply Chain Management that will act as a basket of materials which practitioners can use to better meet their objectives. Key content elements currently in discussion are: a generic framework for a responsible supply chain management process; a user friendly tool providing access to key international standards and principles; reference materials towards a responsible supply chain system, and; thematic fiches with background information on material issues, etc.

  2. Awareness raising and capability building sessions in and outside Europe. To fulfil their ambition, Laboratory leaders and participants will pursue dialogue and explore partnerships with the European Commission as well as with other national and international reference partners. The Laboratory tools will be made available to a wide audience and in particular to the supporters of the European Alliance for CSR.

Lab Leaders

Titan, Volkswagen, HP, L'Oréal

Facilitators

CSR Europe and BSCI (an initiative of FTA) and HNCSR

Participants

BASF, Bouygues, Bayer, GDF SUEZ, Metro, Nestle, Sony, Epson, AB Volvo, Solidar, Oeko-institut, European Commission DG Enterprise and Industry, Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Danish Commerce and Companies Agency, HNCSR, Business and Society Belgium, ORSE.

Contact Information

Jan Noterdaeme, on behalf of the European C'Homme'Pany for CSR Europe
+32 2 541 1612
jn@csreurope.org

Lorenz Berzau, FTA/BSCI
+32 2 741 6407
lorenz.berzau@fta-eu.org

Milestones - 2008

  • 17 January: Laboratory meeting in Prague hosted by HP - focusing on SMEs
  • 4 March: 2nd High-Level meeting, Brussels - CSR discussion among CEOs
  • 16-17 April: Laboratory meeting in Paris hosted by L'Oréal - focusing on purchasers in sustainable development, presentation of value proposition for developing Laboratory deliverables
  • 19 June: CSR Europe General Assembly - presentation of LAB progress
  • 30 June - 1 July: Laboratory meeting in Wolfsburg hosted by Volkswagen - presentation of draft LAB deliverables  
  • November: European Alliance Assembly - Finalisation and Dissemination of LAB deliverables

Milestones - 2007

  • January  - March: Coordination between BSCI, CSR Europe, individual meetings
  • 23 March: 1st physical meeting of the LAB group
  • 19 April: Roundtable LABS Discussion in Brussels
  • 16 May: Meeting in Brussels to decide upon topics and timetables
  • 28 September: Meeting in Athens hosted by Titan
  • 29 November: CSR Europe MarketPlace Event in Brussels - Initial Results of LABS Demonstrated