I would like to ask people here about experience and learnings from a Sustainability audit based on the lines of EICC - Supplier code of conduct. We are up to taking one in the near future.
EICC promotes an industry code of conduct for global electronics supply chains to improve working and environmental conditions.
I would like to ask people here about experience and learnings from a Sustainability audit based on the lines of EICC - Supplier code of conduct. We are up to taking one in the near future.
Thanks very much for the headsup Dr.Hi Somashekar,
I have conducted many EICC Assessments throughout the Asia Pacific Region, including China and India from 2006. Even the factories belonging to my company (i.e. before my retirement) had to undergo EICC assessments. Now the assessment is carried out by a third party throughout the company (that includes suppliers too) and the results are published in the Annual Sustainability Report of the company.
My suggestion is that "Non-negotiables" have to be clearly understood and supported by the top management. Suppliers not meeting the requirements need to be removed from the supplier list, after giving them sufficient time for action. This is one area where a committed top management is needed. If this is not done and if the Supply Chain Management can influence the decision, your EICC assessment will be a farce.
As for the assessment itself, it is better to develop a company/country specific questionnaire so that important points are not missed. Reports based on this questionnaire may be used for monitoring progress in various areas.
I would be happy to help you with the EICC assessment if you have any specific questions.
I am attaching a presentation made by me at the CII Green Summit 2008; this may be of interest to you.
With kind regards,
Ramakrishnan
Yes, the third party sustainability assessment generally involves interviewing the people at the grass root levels (non seasoned) such asThanks very much for the headsup Dr.
Can I know typically what are the "Non-negotiables"
An other aspect which concerns me is the style of the third party assessment. How much of this is done at the operator interview or security guard interview level ?
I feel there is a lot of gap in this area in my case, if the audit style is across various random interviews of people in lower levels in the organization.
Another area is about the evidences on the ethics aspect. I have no any procedures or even a system on things like ombudsmen etc. Just a plain mention about these in the company HR manual. Things out of the EHS aspect seems like my weak area and I seek guidance on these.