Drive+ Strengthens Collaboration with OEMs and Prepares for Major Milestones in the Final Quarter of 2025
As the automotive sector continues to navigate the complexity of sustainability challenges, Drive+ is advancing at full speed. Entering the last quarter of 2025, the platform has consolidated its role as a hub for collaboration, where suppliers and OEMs co-create practical solutions. Through working groups, ongoing consultations, and pilot initiatives, Drive+ enable suppliers to actively engage with peers and OEMs to shape shared solutions and drive the industry’s sustainability agenda forward
Strengthening Suppliers-OEMs Collaboration: DS & D+ Consultation on SAQ 6.0 Structure
This year has seen increased collaboration between suppliers and OEMs, as dedicated consultations on SAQ 6.0 structure ensured suppliers perspectives and needs will be reflected in the new version. In parallel, regular updates from the DS Steering Committee have proven highly valuable in giving suppliers visibility on the strategic direction of OEMs sustainability agenda.
These actions are crucial to make sure suppliers are not only recipients of new requirements but also active contributors to shaping them.
Working Groups Driving Impact
Beyond our Sharing & Learning activities, we are expanding collaborative opportunities that enable suppliers to align, exchange perspectives, and jointly create practical solutions to actively influence OEMs priorities and actions.
1. SAQ Enhancements Working Group
The first D+ Working Group on SAQ Enhancements successfully reached its conclusion with tangible results. After a series of consultations and technical reviews, suppliers identified a set of priorities for SAQ platform improvements, ranging from usability upgrades to efficiency gains in supplier reporting.
These priorities will be formally presented to OEMs on September 4, 2025, demonstrating how supplier input is directly shaping the tools they rely on.
2. Harmonisation of ESG Standards and Tools
The second Working Group will focus on the harmonisation of ESG standards and tools. From an initial fact-finding exercise on the current landscape and on stakeholders’ priorities, the goal is to create greater alignment across the industry, reduce the administrative burden on suppliers, and strengthen the credibility of ESG assessments. Two working group meetings scheduled for autumn will aim at delivering actionable recommendations.
Transparency in Focus: The Supply Chain Mapping Pilot Project
Another key initiative is the Supply Chain Mapping Pilot Project, which brings OEMs and suppliers together to increase traceability in the supply chain while safeguarding business confidentiality, highlighting how collaboration between the two is crucial to achieve transparency.
With the first working group held in July, the initiative will reach two important milestones before the end of the year:
· September 16, 2025: First outcomes to be discussed at the D+ Annual In-Presence Meeting.
· December 2025: Final results to be presented at a DS & D+ Open Atelier.
The pilot marks a major step forward in testing practical methods for collaborative supply chain mapping, paving the way for wider industry adoption in the future.
Drive+ Annual In-Presence Meeting: 16 September 2025
Building on last year’s success, Drive+ is pleased to announce its second Annual In-Presence Meeting on 16 September 2025 at the CSR Europe office in Brussels. The event will showcase the importance of growing collaboration between suppliers and OEMs, reinforcing the value of supplier voices in shaping both the Drive+ agenda and the broader Drive Sustainability strategy.
From contributions of experts about EU sustainability regulations to open exchanges between peers on sustainability challenges, suppliers will have the opportunity to come together, share knowledge, and develop common practical solutions.
Be Part of the Drive+ Community to Develop Collective Solutions for Sustainability Challenges
As Drive+ enters the final quarter of 2025, the platform is proving how collective problem-solving can turn knowledge into action, and action into results, in in a complex and demanding sector.
By joining Drive+, suppliers have the opportunity to gain insights on OEMs sustainability priorities, while collaborating with peers to co-develop industry practices that upscale transparency, efficiency, and sustainability across the automotive supply chain. Now is the time to become part of a growing community committed to building a more sustainable future together!
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