Responsible procurement
As a sustainable business, we feel a deep responsibility to drive change across our entire industry and among all our partners. Procurement plays a central role in our operations , our direct spend with suppliers exceeds €500 million annually. Part of being a sustainable business is influencing change. It is important that we encourage our suppliers to meet the same sustainability standards that we set ourselves. By focusing on our supply chain, we can reduce risk to our business, develop a better supply chain and deliver improved solutions for our customers.
Encouraging our suppliers to follow our sustainability standards
Procurement is a major part of our business, with over €500 million in direct spend annually across more than 10,000 suppliers. As a sustainable business, we feel responsible for driving change not only within our own operations but across our entire industry and partner network.
Our Supplier Code of Conduct is embedded in our contract templates, and we actively monitor whether suppliers commit to these standards.
The Supplier Portal
Beyond the Supplier Code of Conduct, ERIKS launched a Supplier Portal, which helps us to gather all the relevant and useful information provided by our suppliers, including Sustainability related documents, like certifications (Ecovadis, ISO, etc.) and certification management on the product level (Environmental Product Declarations – EPD).
Leading the way for the whole industry
Our leading position in the industry compels us to lead the way to the other players. We are in close business relationships with both A-brands and our customers so inspiring them on a daily basis is one of our key purposes.
An important topic when it comes to sustainability is circularity and the EU has shared its ambition to be fully circular by 2050. Given ERIKS’ role in the ecosystem (distributor), we can play an important role in helping the industries we serve become more circular. We are currently working with a selection of suppliers to learn more about and create effective circular solutions.