SUPPLY CHAIN
He adds that participating companies must provide “ formal , recent , and credible documentation that serves as a reliable element of the company ’ s sustainability management system .”
Just 30 years ago Nike was using slave labour Such rigour is a far cry from the situation 30 years ago , when Nike was calledout for using slave labour . More recently there was the 2013 Dhaka garment factory collapse , which claimed 1,123 lives , and left 2,500 injured , many seriously . The factory manufactured garments for brands including Benetton , Prada , Gucci , Versace , Matalan and Primark .
In the wake of these and other supply chain controversies , companies began addressing the issue by auditing supplier factories and facilities .
“ It spawned a new industry segment , doing ‘ social audits ’, or ‘ environmental audits ’,” says McClintock . “ Companies also began remote assessment , by building their own supplier sustainability selfassessment questionnaires ( SAQs ) with checkbox-type questions .”
But , he says , to reach their multinational supplier base , some tried to translate the SAQs , and then had to collate responses on spreadsheets .
It led to a backlash from suppliers , says McClintock . “ Assessments were generic and contained irrelevant questions , and it required a lot of work for suppliers to fill in a questionnaire for every customer or industry served – all with no feedback in return .”
“ Businesses must provide recent and credible evidence of its sustainability management system ”
DAVID MCCLINTOCK MARKETING DIRECTOR , ECOVADIS sustainabilitymag . com 129