Responsible purchasing practices
Why RESPECT?
This website offers you valuable information on the issue of purchasing practices and allows you to reach other members of the purchasing community: suppliers, buyers, consumers, and workers.
Initial Context
Lack of dialogue and understanding between supply chain stakeholders:
Over the last couple of years, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a common preoccupation within supply chains. However:
Unfair purchasing practices jeopardize CSR implementation within supply chains.
Purchasing practices issues
Sourcing strategies are too frequently kept apart from responsible practices. Short deadlines, tight prices, incomplete planning and unfavorable payment conditions are often imposed upon suppliers during purchasing negotiations, undermining their aptitude to ensure fair work conditions for their staff.
In order to have an effective impact on workers' welfare, purchasing practices need to be integrated into companies' CSR efforts.
Respect solutions
RESPECT is a 2-year project that started in late 2011, and is co-financed by the European Union Leonardo Da Vinci program. The initiative is the joint effort of 8 partners from 5 European countries representing different fields of expertise.
The project aims to develop innovative methodologies and tools to help key stakeholders create change in the way purchasing practices are made in supply chains. RESPECT puts special emphasis on the increasing role of suppliers and empowers them through capacity building.
Two pilot countries - Turkey and Bulgaria– were selected to lead assessments and trainings with local suppliers.
Expected outcomes
New purchasing practices are created through this collaborative process.
Respect fosters dialogue between supply chain stakeholders.
