Sustainable Sourcing

Driving improved sustainability performance

Maintaining a sustainable supply chain is vital to our business to ensure our products are reliable for our customers. We work with suppliers who share similar values and are interested in collaborating to develop a more sustainable future. We take a collective approach to improving suppliers’ sustainable performance and expect adherence to minimum standards across our diverse supplier base.

Learn more about how Univar Solutions’ sustainable sourcing efforts not only meet the individual needs of our current customers but also the collective needs of our shared future.

Liam McCarollLiam McCaroll

Liam McCarroll

Director of Sustainability

“As a company, we believe it is essential to find partners who share our stance on ESG issues, agree on responsible ingredients and services, and operate in alignment with expectations. We are proud of the measurable progress we have made in this important area and remain focused on driving further sustainable sourcing across our supply chain, in partnership with our suppliers.”

Where we take action

Univar Solutions has committed to targets of having 100 percent of new and active suppliers acknowledge our Global Supplier Code of Conduct by 2023, and assessing 80 percent of our suppliers by spend on their sustainability performance, with minimum standards for those assessed being met by 2025. Our strategic areas of focus include: 

Infrastructure and Investment:

  • Supply chain ESG assessment and management software to improve transparency of related performance of our suppliers

Processes and Procedures

  • Supplier onboarding and supplier assessments
  • Supplier Code of Conduct contractual requirement

Culture

  • Development and delivery of global sustainable and ethical sourcing training for commercial teams

2022 Performance Highlights

In 2022, Univar Solutions was effecitve at driving improved sustainability performance and minimum standards across our diverse supplier base. We have targets for 2025 to achieve a 100 percent rating of new and active suppliers who are issued our global Supplier Code of Conduct (SCOC) by and assess 80 percent of our suppliers (measured by spend) on their sustainability performance.

During 2022 we:

  • Assessed 44.5 percent of our product suppliers on ESG via EcoVadis.
  • 32.5 percent of suppliers aligned with our Supplier Code of Conduct.
  • Set our baseline on diverse supplier procurement.

Our journey to facilitate greater supply chain transparency and sustainable practices

With the support of our senior leadership team, our commercial sustainability working groups are embedding sustainable practices, products and services across Univar Solutions. In 2021, we began engaging with suppliers to assess their standards and practices with respect to environmental, social and ethical issues.

The Supplier Code of Conduct is a newly launched tool that outlines our minimum expectations in key ESG areas. Moving forward, all existing and new suppliers will be required to comply with the Supplier Code of Conduct and complete risk and supplier assessments as part of our due diligence process before beginning work with Univar Solutions. By engaging our suppliers, we not only mitigate and reduce the risk of harmful practices within our supply chain, but also promote greater transparency and performance improvement.

In addition to complying with the Supplier Code of Conduct, suppliers that are identified as being higher-risk are also required to answer a supplemental questionnaire to identify potential concerns in specific areas, including business ethics, labor and welfare, health and safety and environmental practices.