Enhancing Supply Chain Social Sustainability: Key Tips

Businesses hold immense potential to drive positive change by championing human rights, fair labour practices, environmental protection, and anti-corruption measures.

Recognising the growing importance of responsible and ethical practices across supply chains, the United Nations Global Compact provides practical guidance to help companies enhance social sustainability.

Here are six empowering tips to guide your company towards making a positive impact within its supply chain and contributing to a fair, equal, and sustainable future:

Embrace supply chain traceability: Delve into the hidden stories behind your products by utilising the UN Global Compact and BSR's guide on improving supply chain traceability. Uncover the journey from raw materials to finished goods to make informed choices for transparency and sustainability.

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Advocate for decent work: Integrate fair wages, safe working conditions, and workers' rights into your procurement decisions using the Decent Work Toolkit for Sustainable Procurement and the Navigating Decent Work Challenges in Multi-Tiered Supply Chains: Leadership Brief. Prioritise decent work practices to enhance workers' well-being and promote sustainable supply chain operations.

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Empower workers and address low wages: Take action against the adverse impact of low wages with the UN Global Compact's Improving Wages to Advance Decent Work in Supply Chain toolkit and the Living Wage Analysis Tool. Ensure dignity for workers, their families, and communities by providing fair wages.

Enhance worker well-being and occupational health: Safeguard workers, minimise occupational hazards and prioritise overall well-being through the implementation of nine business practices outlined by the UN Global Compact and the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Build safe and healthy supply chains that prioritise workers' welfare.

Establish family-friendly workplaces: Combat the lack of essential benefits for workers and their families in global supply chains, particularly regarding parental leave, fair wages, healthcare, and affordable childcare. Implement family-friendly policies throughout your operations, business partnerships, and supply chains to support progress towards gender equality and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Adopt a gender-responsive approach: Integrate gender considerations into your procurement strategies using the Sustainable Procurement Toolkit, thereby actively promoting gender equality and non-discrimination. Emphasise sourcing from women-owned businesses or gender-responsive suppliers to foster a diverse and inclusive supply chain.

Further reading: The Importance of Gender Equality in the Workplace and its Effect on your Business

Supply chain sustainability encompasses human rights, labour, the environment, and anti-corruption efforts. The UN Global Compact recognises its significance and assists companies in integrating responsible and ethical practices across their supply chains.

By committing to this approach, businesses contribute to a sustainable future while fostering a socially responsible business environment aligned with the #GlobalGoals. To learn more and engage in the UN Global Compact's supply chain sustainability initiatives, click here.

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Source: UN Global Compact