The diverse and often complex supply chains producing the food, fashion, beauty, and homeware products we sell can have significant social and environmental impacts. Continuously strengthening our value chains through our ethical sourcing programmes is non-negotiable. It allows us to mitigate where necessary and positively influence the outcomes and impacts of manufacturing and production where possible.
There is growing awareness regarding the transparency of supply chains and the traceability of products. We are working to enhance our programmes to address this.
Ethical sourcing requires us to build long-term value-sharing relationships with our suppliers and other stakeholders in the supply chain.
Our main focus is on our private label primary suppliers and supply chains. This is where we can exert the most influence for positive change and effectively monitor performance. We also engage with branded suppliers to ensure our standards are understood and upheld.
Our approach to ethical sourcing comprises:
Supplier codes of conduct
We expect our suppliers to share our vision for ethical sourcing. This is outlined in our supplier codes of conduct and sourcing-related position statements to which suppliers must adhere. These codes and statements are included in our supplier onboarding and contracts. They are available on our supplier portals and customer-facing websites.
Monitoring of suppliers and ethical audits
We monitor suppliers’ performance through social and ethical audit programmes. We have started broadening our approach to include due diligence. We are members of SEDEX, a web-based platform for sharing responsible sourcing data on supply chains. SEDEX is one of the most widely used ethical audit formats in the world.
We are working on converting our suppliers, and their factories and farms where relevant, to the SEDEX members ethical trade audit (SMETA). We also recognise several other audits to allow factories to focus on improvement without additional costs, audit fatigue, and disruptions.
Partnering
We partner with best-in-class organisations, standards, and certification schemes to tackle complex and systemic issues and strengthen our responsible sourcing and supplier relationships.
Building awareness and capacity
We train our staff and suppliers in human rights, ethics, and responsible commodity sourcing. Training is ongoing. It is determined based on gaps and opportunities identified by staff or based on common risks found in audits.
The Group sources products from countries across the globe. We are working towards a fully transparent and traceable supply chain that aligns with our commitment to ethical sourcing. This will make our product sourcing visible to customers and other stakeholders, enabling them to hold us accountable for ensuring an ethical supply chain.
Access our supplier lists here:
Woolworths’ Enterprise and Supplier Development Programme aims to stimulate the growth of an inclusive South African economy. Its primary objective is to unlock market opportunities for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), particularly Black-owned MSMEs.
Every MSME has its own dynamics, unique to the lead entrepreneur or owner and unique to the industry. For this reason, we offer tailored support. This often involves innovative approaches such as facility sharing, cash flow support, or partnering with established suppliers, financiers or other like-minded partners.
More information on the focus area and our performance thereon can be found in our annual Good Business Journey Report
