Country of Origin
Essity has global manufacturing, however most production sites are located in Europe and North America. Some sites are located in Australasia, India, South Africa and South America. Essity sources many raw materials and chemicals locally, often from supplier sites that are part of large multinational corporations based in Europe and the USA. This is conscious choice by Essity to reduce social and ethical risks throughout the supplier base, as best practices and relevant certifications and standards have been implemented across all sites throughout the entire supplier company.
Some raw materials are closely associated with specific regions due to natural reasons, such as wood pulp or cotton. Many times, those materials are considered to primarily have risks several tiers away, in the beginning of the value chain. Essity takes further measures here, such as audits of sub suppliers, or chooses certified raw materials that guarantee more sustainable extraction and production.
Origin and Risks
Essity is taking location of supplier and origin of raw material into consideration when assessing risks. The same material can entail different risks depending on the area where it is manufactured or grown, whereas other items can have similar risks regardless of where they are produced and delivered, such as certain services.
Sustainability Risk Assessment Well Embedded in Established Routines
To safeguard sustainability considerations and to minimize any environmental or social impact related to our procurement activities and suppliers, we have integrated the requirements into our standard processes and normal routines. For Essity, there are several checkpoints in the mandatory supplier qualification process that are covering sustainability issues and risks.