AIM-PROGRESS members continued to demonstrate progress in their responsible sourcing programs in 2018 with an impressive maturity leap: 50% of members are now identified as having ‘Integrated’ responsible sourcing programs, thereby being in the upper half of the maturity scale, whilst 15% can be considered as industry leaders on responsible sourcing.
Human Rights are increasingly the focus area for AIM-PROGRESS companies: 73% of companies are implementing Human Rights frameworks, including the UN Guiding Principles, with the rest of the membership having work underway or in planning stage. This is almost a tripling from 2017, where only 24% of respondents reported having implemented Human Rights frameworks.
Supplier assessments, in different shapes and forms, are an essential part of supply chain due diligence. The number of first-tier suppliers with which companies have a direct sourcing relationship increased by 12%, and a higher percentage of these suppliers was subjected to some level of assessment. Audits are the most widely used method for supplier assessment with 72% of the AIM-PROGRESS membership conducting third party audits in 2018. 66% of companies are using Supplier Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQs), and 53% report using third-party desk assessment services (e.g. EcoVadis).
AIM-PROGRESS is particularly pleased to see that 33% of the reported audits conducted in 2018 by our membership are being mutually recognized, thus lessening the cost and resource burden on the supplier.
87% of members engage with suppliers on capability building, with the most common support to first-tier suppliers being AIM-PROGRESS supplier training events (66%).
