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Sustainable Sourcing
Driving improved sustainability performance
Maintaining a sustainable supply chain is vital to our business to ensure our products are reliable for our customers. We work with suppliers who share similar values and are interested in collaborating to develop a more sustainable future. We take a collective approach to improving suppliers’ sustainable performance and expect adherence to minimum standards across our diverse supplier base.
Learn more about how Univar Solutions’ sustainable sourcing efforts not only meet the individual needs of our current customers but also the collective needs of our shared future.
Liam McCarroll
Director of Sustainability
“As a company, we believe it is essential to find partners who share our stance on ESG issues, agree on responsible ingredients and services, and operate in alignment with expectations. We are proud of the measurable progress we have made in this important area and remain focused on driving further sustainable sourcing across our supply chain, in partnership with our suppliers.”
Where we take action
Univar Solutions has committed to targets of having 100 percent of new and active suppliers acknowledge our Global Supplier Code of Conduct by 2023, and assessing 80 percent of our suppliers by spend on their sustainability performance, with minimum standards for those assessed being met by 2025. Our strategic areas of focus include:
Infrastructure and Investment:
- Supply chain ESG assessment and management software to improve transparency of related performance of our suppliers
Processes and Procedures
- Supplier onboarding and supplier assessments
- Supplier Code of Conduct contractual requirement
Culture
- Development and delivery of global sustainable and ethical sourcing training for commercial teams
2023 Performance Highlights
We remain committed to engaging our supply chain on key ESG topics, helping support an evolutionary journey toward a more sustainable future for our wider value chain. Not only are such efforts the right thing to do, but they are also fundamental to our goal to net-zero pathways. Our commitments to sustainable sourcing and workers in the value chain are covered in our Sustainable Sourcing Policy.
At the end of 2023 we:
- Issued our Supplier Code of Conduct.to all new and existing product suppliers
- Assessed 54.4 percent of product suppliers (by spend) via EcoVadis, increasing transparency on supplier chain sustainability performance.
Our journey to facilitate greater supply chain transparency and sustainable practices
With the support of our senior leadership team, our commercial sustainability working groups are embedding sustainable practices, products and services across Univar Solutions. In 2021, we began engaging with suppliers to assess their standards and practices with respect to environmental, social and ethical issues.
The Supplier Code of Conduct is a newly launched tool that outlines our minimum expectations in key ESG areas. Moving forward, all existing and new suppliers will be required to comply with the Supplier Code of Conduct and complete risk and supplier assessments as part of our due diligence process before beginning work with Univar Solutions. By engaging our suppliers, we not only mitigate and reduce the risk of harmful practices within our supply chain, but also promote greater transparency and performance improvement.
In addition to complying with the Supplier Code of Conduct, suppliers that are identified as being higher-risk are also required to answer a supplemental questionnaire to identify potential concerns in specific areas, including business ethics, labor and welfare, health and safety and environmental practices.
