We see our responsibility extending to cover our products’ entire lifecycle. Accordingly, right from the time when we choose our raw materials we ensure that they will not impact negatively on users’ health or the environment. We also carry out regular checks on our long-term suppliers.
Getting our suppliers involved
When they accept our purchasing conditions, our suppliers also accept a whole range of standards requiring, amongst other things, that products should not be a threat to users’ health, and that packaging should be recyclable. When our suppliers accept HARTMANN GROUP purchasing conditions, they also agree to adhere to certain principles, such as not allowing children to work in their companies.
Supplier assessment
The first step is for suppliers to fill in a questionnaire providing information on their attitude to the environment and on their HSE management. The questions address topics such as adherence to legal requirements, packaging and transport or product safety. The answers are then assessed using a points system and if necessary, particularly in the case of strategically important suppliers, verified by conducting on-site audits.
The HARTMANN GROUP’s objective is in future to store the supplier assessments centrally and to include them in the HSE audits. By assessing our suppliers according to HSE criteria we aim to encourage the necessary awareness on their part, too, as well as to involve them in our HSE objectives.
