RWS’s sustainable procurement is anchored on three pillars to drive material impact along the supply chain.

(Prioritising sustainable products and services, integrating circularity into sourcing requirements, supporting local businesses)

We are committed to continuously identifying environmentally preferable and community-uplifting sources for our key strategic categories, guided by our Sustainable Sourcing Guidelines, and consider suppliers, goods or services with relevant sustainability certifications, environmental labels, ethical and social practices. We adopt a circular economy mindset by considering product lifecycle costs and benefits, using regenerative and recycled materials, minimising environmental impact, and considering suppliers that measure, manage and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. We also support local communities by including, where appropriate, small and medium-sized enterprises and diverse businesses in procurement processes, while promoting locally produced goods and services to strengthen regional supply chains.

(Engaging suppliers to adopt sustainable practices and driving Supplier Code of Conduct compliance)

We partner with suppliers who share the same values. We engage suppliers to adopt sustainable practices by embedding sustainable and ethical business practices within their operations, institutionalising sustainable criteria in sourcing where practicable, encouraging innovative solutions such as energy efficiency, ensuring fair and progressive labour practices and the welfare of outsourced workers, and minimising packaging waste, adoption of environmentally friendly goods, service and delivery packaging. Our suppliers have to comply with our Supplier Code of Conduct as part of our Purchase Orders (PO) Standard Terms and Conditions. The Code of Conduct sets our expectations for ethical conduct and business practices, labour and human rights, workplace health and safety, environmental impacts and corporate social responsibility.

(Drive certifications and alignment with sustainability standards, upholding ethical, fair and transparent business practices)

We drive sustainable programmes and certifications across our supply chain, conduct due diligence to identify and address potential and actual adverse sustainability impacts, ensure procurement policies and procedures are with reference to ISO 20400 (Sustainable Procurement Guidelines), and raise team member awareness on our sustainable procurement policy.
RWS adopts fair and ethical tendering and supplier selection processes and abides by a rigorous set of criteria for evaluation of all potential suppliers including price, quality, track record, technical competency, financial stability, service support and sustainability initiatives. All business transactions are conducted electronically to ensure full compliance, governance, transparency and audit trail. We establish goals, monitor performances in sustainable procurement and drive certifications across our supply chain based on established certifications documented in Procurement Sustainability playbook.