Governance Partnership across the supply chain Responsible purchasing As a trusted partner, Julius Blum GmbH procures an enormous range of materials, products and services from a wide range of suppliers. We want to keep the environmental impact of these purchasing activities as low as possible and therefore work hard to select suppliers that share our commitment to environmental protection and social responsibility. Our aim is to establish long-term partnerships with suppliers so that we can work together to promote sustainable practices across the supply chain and bring about collective improvements. Our procurement organisation comprises a team of buyers who are responsible for different goods and services. Procurement decisions are made based on the relevant product and supplier specifications, which are defined in consultation with the purchasing, quality assurance and manufacturing departments. Checks are conducted as part of our supplier management and purchasing processes to ensure compliance with these specifications, notably with respect to product quality and safety, employment conditions and the working environment and environmental standards. Blum is committed to ensuring that human rights are upheld at all times and considers this an essential part of its role as a responsible business. We stand for fair and humane practices in all our business relationships and require all of our suppliers – from the procurement of our raw materials through to the sale of our products – also to implement fair business practices and uphold human right standards. This fundamental principle underpins all our business partnerships and is reflected in our Supplier Code of Conduct. Likewise, our Supplier Code of Conduct also sets out a number of other principles that we consider central to our relationships with our direct suppliers, notably anti-corruption practices, a ban on child and forced labour, fair working conditions and minimum wages and a commitment to conserving resources and environmental protection more generally. Just like our products and services, our environmental and energy policy is designed with longevity firmly in mind. We understand the importance of environmental actions and energy decisions for the future of our planet and believe it is our responsibility to monitor practices in both these areas across our value chain. It is essential that environmental legislation and standards are upheld and that wherever possible suitable environmental management systems are put in place. We expect our supply chain partners to act responsibly with respect to natural resources and the environment and to take action to minimise their consumption of raw materials, water and energy. To that end, we look to establish long-term partnerships in all procurement areas and to prioritise partnerships with local suppliers so that we can reap the benefits of more direct – and therefore efficient – working relationships and shorter transport routes. ➔ GRI 3-3, GRI 407-1, GRI 408-1, GRI 409-1, GRI 411-1 – Supplier Code of Conduct drafted and distributed to Julius Blum GmbH suppliers – Supplier selection process expanded to include risk-based sanction pre-screening – Specialist internal team created to focus on sustainability in procurement Key points 80 © Copyright by Blum
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