Cutting down on resource consumption and upholding human rights throughout our supply chains
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As a responisble company, we are committed to cutting down on resource consumption and upholding human rights throughout our supply chains.
We create transparency around measures to reduce resource consumption and risks, set clear standards, and continue to develop these together with our suppliers.
A global value chain connects many people, businesses and sites. Raw materials, components and services often travel long distances before they become a finished product. This involves a variety of requirements for business practices.
This means our responsibility does not end at our own sites. We also regard the supply chain as part of our corporate responsibility and are working to gain a better understanding of the relevant risks and areas for action. Transparency, clear requirements and ongoing dialogue with our suppliers form the key foundations of this approach.
This is not a one-off situation, but an ongoing process: we review requirements, assess developments and work together with our partners to improve existing processes.
Responsibility starts with clear standards
Shared requirements offer guidance
Responsible supply chains require clear expectations and transparent rules. Only when requirements are clearly defined can they be taken into account and refined in different markets, countries and partnerships.
Our requirements for suppliers include the responsible use of resources, respect for human rights and labour standards, and compliance with relevant legal and ethical requirements.
These standards establish a common framework for collaboration and provide a basis for taking established environmental and human rights criteria into account in procurement and supplier onboarding processes.
Creating transparency regarding risks and resources
Data helps us better understand what connects us
The more global and complex supply networks become, the more important it is to have as clear a picture as possible of their structures and risks. Information on suppliers, materials, processes and relevant sustainability issues forms an important basis for decision-making.
Digital systems and AI help collect, collate and analyse information in a structured way. This makes it easier to understand relevant developments and to assess areas for action more effectively.
Transparency also plays an important role when it comes to the resource consumption: it helps monitor measures and developments over a longer period of time and identify areas for improvement together with suppliers.
Taking human rights into account in the supply chain
Responsibility for people throughout the value chain
Global supply chains connect Wilo with many companies and employees in different countries and markets. This also highlights the growing importance of a systematic assessment of human rights risks.
We work to identify and assess relevant risks within our supply chains and determine appropriate measures in response. Defined standards and structured processes form the basis for collaboration with our suppliers.
The aim is to identify potential risks at an early stage and to work with the relevant partners to develop appropriate measures and improvements.
Making sustainability performance transparent
External assessments provide greater transparency
Sustainability in supply chains can only be meaningfully developed if progress and requirements are made transparent. In addition to our own assessment and audit processes, established external assessment frameworks can offer another perspective.
Case study: EcoVadis
The external EcoVadis rating provides a framework for assessing companies’ sustainability performance. Wilo uses the assessment as a building block for a structured look at sustainability and to provide insights on progress.
Involving suppliers in relevant assessment and development processes also creates greater transparency and can help embed sustainability requirements more firmly within the supply chain.
Helping our suppliers develop, together
Sustainability through dialogue
A supply chain is built on long-term business relationships and shared processes. That is why many challenges cannot be resolved through requirements or audits alone. Continuous communication with partners is also crucial.
We work with our suppliers to gain a better understanding of requirements, share experiences and further develop appropriate measures. Training sessions, discussions, assessments and joint improvement processes can offer a range of different starting points.
