Our customers are increasingly interested to know where the products they buy come from and how they have been made. Over the last few years we have reviewed suppliers in more than 25 countries to assess their ethical and environmental performance. We have now conducted over 1,100 audits of suppliers, instigating follow-up actions appropriate to managing each situation.
Alliance Boots has always demonstrated that it takes its responsibility for people, the environment and the local communities in which it operates very seriously.
Boots UK has continued to implement its award-winning supplier verification programme, which was externally reviewed by Business in the Community. This best practice is now being shared across the Group.
Boots UK own brand and exclusive suppliers have been audited against the Code of Conduct for Ethical Trading and we do not sell products without confirmation that the supplier meets our rigorous standards.
Boots UK continues to set itself new goals to improve sustainability within its supply chain and has established a close working relationship with Business in the Community to look at a broader range of issues relating to supplier verification.
Boots UK’s product sustainability assessment process has been designed to evaluate the sustainability of their products against over 20 criteria. The process highlights the areas where actions can lead to the greatest improvements, as well as ensuring that Boots brand and exclusive products and ranges continue to become more sustainable over time.
Our experts have developed a new product sustainability assessment process, unique to Boots, that measures the sustainability of products across more than 20 different criteria. The process aims to identify how we can improve our brands and products further, as well as ensuring that sustainability measures are built into all our new product development targets.
Product development and technical staff at the Nottingham support office and a buying office in Hong Kong have been trained to use the sustainability model.
Boots UK has used the process to assess the products of five of its Beauty & Toiletries brands. The insights gained are now being used to build sustainability objectives for the future development of these brands.
We seek to ensure that the merchandise we source is obtained from suppliers who strive to maintain satisfactory working conditions, comply fully with legal requirements, and the labour, health and safety standards of those countries in which processes take place.
The Boots UK supplier verification programme has been designed to support this commitment.
During the year we expanded the programme to include suppliers to Boots Opticians and to suppliers of the Pharmaceutical Wholesale Division’s Almus and Alvita product brands.
The supplier verification programme consists of:
- Desktop reviews
- Full supplier audits including visits to manufacturing sites
- Unannounced supplier visits
- Supplier conferences
- Ethical workbook to assist suppliers in their compliance with our Code of Conduct for Ethical Trading
We believe that we have a responsibility to all of our stakeholders, including the employees and communities who are involved in the manufacture of our products.
In the event that there is evidence of non-compliance we maintain the right to end the business relationship. Withdrawal of business may mean inflicting severe hardship on employees, their families and communities, and as such is a course of action that we would hope to avoid. Where possible we support suppliers in achieving compliance with our Code of Conduct for ethical trading.