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ISM Principles of Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Welcome to ISM's Sustainability and Social Responsibility Web area. For a comprehensive list of what you will find in these Web pages, please click here.

It is the mission of the ISM to foster and drive sustainability and social responsibility excellence across the supply chain through the development of principles, the sharing of tools, information, and best practices. The definitions of sustainability and social responsibility follow.

Sustainability is the ability to meet current needs without hindering the ability to meet the needs of future generations in terms of economic, environmental and social challenges.

Social Responsibility is a framework of measurable corporate policies and procedures and resulting behavior designed to benefit the workplace and, by extension, the individual, the organization and the community in the following areas: Community, diversity and inclusiveness-supply base, diversity and inclusiveness-workforce, environment, ethics, financial responsibility, human rights, health and safety, and sustainability.

ISM Objectives

  1. Reinforce that supply professionals fulfill a front-line role to drive sustainability and social responsibility initiatives within the organization and the supply chain.

  2. Increase supply management professionals' awareness of sustainability and social responsibility.

  3. Raise the strategic value of supply management through the promotion of sustainability and social responsibility.

  4. Champion the business case for sustainability and social responsibility.

  5. Encourage the discussion that not all sustainability and social responsibility initiatives are about short-term financial considerations.

  6. Educate the supply chain community and others on sustainability and social responsibility.

  7. Encourage supply professionals to embed relevant sustainability and social responsibility language into supplier agreements to foster commitment.

  8. Reinforce personal commitment and contributions and how they positively impact sustainability and social responsibility initiatives and outcomes.

  9. Provide references, measurements, tools, information and best practices for the development of a proactive sustainability and social responsibility program for supply management professionals and their companies.

ISM Asks Organizations To:

  1. Support sustainability and social responsibility principles applicable to the business environment within which they work and live.

  2. Commit resources to support communication of sustainability and social responsibility principles and practices.

  3. Share strategies, policies, procedures, best practices and other relevant material to assist organizations working to improve sustainability and social responsibility behavior internally and with suppliers.

  4. Encourage building and integrating a program throughout their organization and the supply chain.

Click here to download the ISM Principles of Sustainability and Social Responsibility With A Guide to Adoption and Implementation (PDF - 2000KB).



 
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