Responsible supply chain management

In 2008 UBS spent over CHF 6.9 billion purchasing a wide range of products and services from suppliers and contractors around the world, making our supply chain an important part of our footprint. Responsible procurement is therefore a key aspect of UBS’s approach to human rights and the environment, in line with our endorsement of the UN Global Compact principles, and in support of the UBS Group Environmental Policy and the UBS Statement on Human Rights.

Over the years, UBS has established processes to manage environmental and human rights issues in relevant areas of its supply chain such as client gifts, paper and energy sourcing:

The UBS Responsible Supply Chain Standard

In 2007 UBS decided to adopt an even more systematic approach and to develop a Responsible Supply Chain Guideline that provides group-wide guidance for identifying, assessing and monitoring supplier practices in the areas of human and labor rights, the environment and corruption. The Guideline will be gradually applied on new contracts and contract renewals with suppliers that are more likely to be exposed to such issues.

A central component of this Guideline consists of the UBS Responsible Supply Chain Standard which defines our expectations of suppliers.

This Standard addresses the following issues:

In 2008, the guideline was gradually applied to new contracts and contract renewals with suppliers. By the end of the year around 100 suppliers had been screened according to social and environmental criteria, and responsible supply chain requirements were included in the contractual arrangement with those suppliers who were awarded contracts. Also, some 170 procurement and sourcing representatives were trained on the relevance and application of the new Guideline.

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