Working towards transparent, global supply chains
We are one of the first global retailers to publicly disclose supply chain data within our food and non-food supply chains and we are committed to increasing this further.
In order to source the products that are sold in our stores we work closely with thousands of suppliers every day. Our direct, or ‘tier one’ suppliers, who are based both in the UK and around the world, all have complex supply chains connected to their businesses, from product and packaging, to labour and logistics.
Supply chain transparency plays a vital role in our commitment to responsible sourcing. Through achieving greater transparency we are able to hold ourselves accountable to the social and environmental issues being faced within our supply chains and also use this knowledge to inform our wider CSR supply chain due diligence approach.
Telling this story for every product is not an easy task, but by systematically tracing the origin and understanding production practices behind what we sell, we can collaborate more closely with our direct suppliers and help customers to make informed purchasing decisions when they shop in our stores.
More information on our management approach for responding to the issues identified within our supply chains can be found here.
Our Tier One Supply chains
As part of our journey towards greater transparency, we have committed to publishing tier one information on our food and non-food supply chains on an annual basis. This includes disclosing information on the name, address and country of origin of all of our own-label suppliers.
Within our food supply chain this includes our suppliers of meat & poultry, baked goods, coffee, tea and confectionery. It also includes suppliers of our cosmetic and household ranges. Within the non-food range our supplier list includes textiles and shoe suppliers, as well as hardware suppliers of products such as games, sports equipment and garden furniture.
Our supplier lists can be downloaded on the following links:
Going Beyond Tier One
We recognise the need to achieve greater transparency beyond our tier one supply chain, in our upstream supply base. In order to do this we work closely with our direct suppliers and NGO partners to gain greater visibility of the issues and challenges faced. Below are downloadable links sharing our full supply chain in four key food categories, from producer to tier one supplier.