The road to responsible procurement: Beyond compliance, how can procurement leaders play their part?

Procurement has a critical role to play in addressing supply chain risk. And incoming legislation may represent a springboard for action, as human rights compliance is embedded within procurement teams. But there’s also a risk that legislation presents just that: a compliance exercise. Rather than inspiring a race to the top, there is a danger that procurement falls into the ‘box ticking’ trap. Instead of inspiring innovation, we could end up falling back on flawed tools such as the trusty social audit. 

 

There is a real opportunity to move to the next phase of responsible procurement. But only if compliance is seen as the minimum, rather than the objective. 

 

In this session, we will spotlight some procurement leaders and ask them to examine their roles in reshaping the narrative. We will explore the challenges, incentives, and practices that must be redefined, and ask how best to move the needle beyond just a risk assessment approach to human rights?