By sourcing from suppliers who share the same values as outlined in our Global Supplier Standard, we will continuously promote responsible business practices and respect for human rights in our supply chain. Our Global Supplier Standard contains requirements concerning quality, product safety, the environment, and chemicals. It also contains a Supplier Code of Conduct that includes Essity’s expectations regarding human rights and employee relations, as well as health and safety. Compliance with these principles is a key factor when choosing suppliers and other business partners. 

Essity has an established process to perform continuous risk assessments of the company’s suppliers and spend categories, in line with OECD guidelines, in line with OECD guidelines, German and EU Due Diligence legislations as well as UK and Australia Modern Slavery Acts.

Systematic activities, such as audits, screenings and other monitoring processes, take place to ensure compliance. Essity requires that suppliers use Sedex to conduct a self-assessment linked to working conditions, environment, business ethics and health and safety. Suppliers of raw materials and finished products located in countries that Sedex considers high-risk countries undergo an ethical audit that focuses on areas such as human rights, employment conditions and corruption. The preferred audit format is SMETA, which is the most widely used method in the world for social and ethical audits. 

Many of the strategic suppliers’ production facilities located in Asia and South America are part of large multinational corporations based in Europe and the USA. This is a conscious choice by Essity to reduce the social and ethical risks within the supply chain.