Changing Behaviours: Responsible Sourcing by Companies

Based on case-studies, this chapter summarises good practices and approaches undertaken by firms in undertaking responsible sourcing operations. Major themes discussed included taking ownership of corporate sustainability policies, where internal drivers and decision-making were key ingredients in changing corporate practices. Firms benefitted from external, robust and sustainability standards, incorporating them into their own management practices and encouraging/facilitating their suppliers to follow suit. Other firms explored and executed sustainability-based business models, from developing Life Cycle Assessment approaches to designing products for longevity to decreasing mineral resource use over the long term. Lead firms, with multiple supplier tiers, have strengthened oversight and governance of their supply chains by using independent third-parties to determine and improve responsible sourcing practices within their supply chains and by coming together to develop assessment mechanisms to monitor and report responsible sourcing performance amongst their shared suppliers. One key approach has been encouraging assessments as a diagnostic tool to improve performance and not as a pass/fail audit approach. The chapter outlines the performance of leading firms, while noting that while different companies are moving at different paces in addressing sustainability impacts, the general trend shows increased observance of responsible sourcing behaviours.