Acting ethically
The Code of Conduct formally documents all the values, principles and rules that unite the Chargeurs group’s employees around an ambitious, sustainable and innovative project. The Code of Conduct defines the principles of conduct intended to engage and protect all our stakeholders, from our customers to our employees, our suppliers, our partners and our shareholders.
Widely distributed within the Group, it is intended to be communicated to our external stakeholders in order to share with them the same high standards of ethics and compliance. It serves as a guide in the discussions we have with our suppliers and other commercial partners.
Promoting a sustainable procurement
The way we view our responsibility and our belief that procurement policies are critical for CSR performance have led the Chargeurs group to actively promote sound, streamlined practices across its supply chain.
This means playing a leadership role and promoting environmentally and socially responsible practices.
By signing up to the United Nations Global Compact in 2017, the Chargeurs group is committed to promoting and supporting in its activities the ten fundamental CSR principles covering human rights, labor standards, the environment and anti-corruption.
Our Responsible Procurement strategy is based on a number of resources, including the Responsible Procurement Charter, the Sedex platform, the SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit) social and ethics audits, stronger dialog with our suppliers, the initiatives of our business line Procurement Departments and the processes in place. In recent years, it was stepped up by the annual publication of a Modern Slavery Statement.
Responsible Procurement Group and updated Charter A Responsible Procurement Charter was introduced in November 2017. It outlines our fundamental expectations regarding our suppliers. These principles are the minimum social and environmental requirements we expect of entities involved in the manufacturing of our products to guarantee to our customers that the people who make them are treated decently regardless of where they work. We also expect our suppliers to follow our example in making sustainable commitments in this respect. The Charter has been signed by almost 400 suppliers (double and a half the number recorded in 2022).
Given the strategic nature of the supply chain for an international group, Chargeurs, in 2023, established a cross-functional working group specifically focused on responsible procurement. Its first task is to update the Responsible Procurement Charter with a view to publication in 2024. The new version is based on a broad benchmark and was developed with input from the various business lines. It will be shared with suppliers in an effort to engage in stakeholder dialog and raise their awareness of CSR issues.
Code de Conduite du Groupe
« Les droits de l’Hommes font partie des valeurs fondamentales du Groupe Chargeurs. La promotion des plus hauts standards de protection en la matière constitue un objectif fondamental de notre action. C’est pourquoi, nous encourageons nos partenaires commerciaux, sous-traitants et fournisseurs à adhérer aux valeurs promues par le Groupe en matière de droits humains. »
Sedex SMETA audits
Our production sites are subject to a SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit) every year. SMETA is a recognized social and ethical audit methodology that demonstrates the operational implementation of our commitments in these areas.
It ensures premium audits, covering all aspects of responsible business practices, including four main CSR pillars:
- Working conditions;
- Health and Safety;
- Environment;
- Business ethics.
Over the past three years, Chargeurs’ production facilities have been audited as a priority, along with around 30 of its strategic suppliers.