Our primary suppliers are identified based on total procurement volume and strategic commercial partnerships. A roadmap with implementation milestones serves as the basis of our engagement. This provides the framework for a timebound plan for demonstrating and monitoring compliance with our Policy. As each supplier is at a different stage of their sustainability journey, the entry point, action plan and associated timelines would vary.
We have established additional tools to aggregate information and measure the progress of our suppliers:
- Group-level supplier profiles – details company operations and potential sustainability risks to identify roadmap entry points.
- Independent or third-party site verifications, conducted on a sampling basis – ensures Policy compliance among third-party FFB and oil suppliers.
- Supplier self-assessment tool – facilitates identification of potential risks at mill level.
- Remote monitoring of supplier concessions – monitors deforestation activity.
- Due diligence on prospective suppliers – conducted prior to onboarding.
We are continuously engaging with our main suppliers on a group level, and prioritizing mills within particular, high-risk landscapes for these groups. We conducted verifications on at least one mill for every 10 supplier parent company groups. We will continue to conduct supplier workshops on Sustainability, make capacity-building tools and training available to suppliers to support them in fulfilling their roadmap.