Sustainable procurement

Benchmarking against responsible sourcing indicators

We supported a major consumer goods company with a benchmarking exercise over a number of years to assess the responsible sourcing activities of 25 companies and provide recommendations for improvement.

  • Challenge

    The client wanted to determine how well it was performing against 25 of its peer companies across a number of responsible sourcing criteria. The client wanted the benchmarking assessment to be carried out annually to identify best practice within the sector and identify gaps in its own approach.

  • Solution

    We conducted a structured and comprehensive benchmarking exercise covering four pillars including (1) Risk Assessment; (2) Framework and Implementation; (3) Resourcing and Structure; (4) Horizon Scanning. The assessment was carried out annually for several years and included recommendations for improvement.

  • Outcome

    The benchmarking exercise became a central feature of the client’s human rights due diligence process. It enabled the client to stay abreast of best practice among its peers and prioritise areas for improvement within its own responsible sourcing framework. The process enabled the client to develop a strategy towards achieving a world-class responsible sourcing programme.