Responsible procurement

With our commitment to responsible procurement we create continuing value for AkzoNobel stakeholders in social, environmental and economic terms, for the benefit of our customers, employees, shareholders, communities, the environment and people in our supply chain.

Our expectations in terms of sustainability

- People: Preserve the safety, dignity, fairness and integrity of people through their supply chain

- Planet: Reducing their impact on the planet and to

- Paint: Consistently innovating to deliver sustainable, impactful solutions for our paint and coatings portfolio

Together for Sustainability

As a member of Together for Sustainability (TFS) we have been proactively managing the sustainability performance and risk management of our suppliers since 2014.

The TfS initiative provides infrastructure for one-line assessments carried out by EcoVadis – the partner of TfS and AkzoNobel – and on-site audits.

Both programs are based on international standards and cover key sustainability areas like Environment, Labor and Human Rights, Health and Safety, Ethics and Responsible Supply Chains

The results of audits and assessments are shared across all TfS members, which helps our suppliers to limit the amount of assessment/audit.

Together for sustainability

1. Code of conduct

All suppliers with purchases over €1,000 must sign the Business Partner Code of Conduct or confirm in writing that it has equivalent business principles in place.

2. Assess

Suppliers operating in risk regions or industries are selected to participate in our TfS program. TfS online assessments (executed by EcoVadis, a partner of TfS) and TfS on-site audits facilitate proactive supplier risk management in our industry.

3. Improve

Suppliers are expected to work on their improvement areas as indicated in the assessment scorecard or the audit corrective action plan.

4. Expectations

Suppliers need to achieve an overall EcoVadis score of at least 45 and a labor and human rights score of at least 50. Suppliers not meeting our expectations are requested to improve through annual re-assessments within 3 years. For the on-site audits, that are executed by 3rd party auditors, we expect our supplier to close their findings as indicated in the corrective action plan.

Human Right Due Diligence in the supply chain

Our commitment to respect human rights: Publicly endorse the UNGPs, Establish a human rights and responsible sourcing policy.

Identify and assess risks in your supply chain: The materials we have identified in our supply chain might be a starting point, however your due diligence process should not be limited to those

Increase traceability & transparency: Track back materials and products and the conditions under which they were produced through the supply chain. Gain information on upstream actors until so called “control points” and be transparent on your human right issues

Audit “point of transformation”: Ensure that control point are conducting due diligence on their upstream suppliers to reasonable determine that risk of adverse impact have been identified, prevented and mitigated

Increase leverage: Collaborate with peers, supply chain partners or industry initiative (e.g. Responsible Mineral Initiative)