Supply Chain Management

Sample Clients

BP, Cisco, Ford Motor Company, Gap Inc., Kraft, Novartis, Procter & Gamble, Unilever

BSR provides counsel to companies to help them develop policies and establish implementation approaches that address labor, environmental, transparency and other issues in their global supply chains. BSR's extensive experience working with multinational companies and their suppliers in more than 25 countries across the world positions us well to assist them in the development of successful strategies.

Supply Chain Strategy

BSR helps companies identify and prioritize the primary social and environmental issues arising from operation of their global supply chains, and helps them develop structures for managing these issues effectively. BSR provides assistance to companies in the development of goals, metrics, accountability systems, and evaluation processes to ensure a coordinated and strategic approach to supply chain management that links back to core values and business objectives.

Policy and Code Development

BSR helps companies develop and/or refine their supply chain policies, including overall codes of conduct, as well as policies addressing specific and emerging issues areas such as hazardous materials, HIV/AIDS, migrant labor, living wage, water use, water quality and others.

Program Implementation

BSR provides strategic counsel, tool development, trainings and workshops on the full range of supply chain implementation issues. BSR helps companies conduct risk assessments to prioritize the most urgent issues in a company's supply chain; develop supplier strategies that promote compliance and increased ownership; clarify accountability structures to ensure effective program implementation; and develop audit tools, verification, monitoring, and remediation approaches. BSR also provides counsel on country and issue-specific challenges.

Supplier Workshops

BSR has conducted dozens of supplier trainings on specific company policies and/or geographic compliance issues. These are typically done at the request of a group of companies that have suppliers in a particular geographic region, (e.g., Southern China). In general, these workshops focus on the particulars of local labor laws, the development of management systems, and CSR challenges in specific geographic locations.

Working Groups and Other Services

Working Groups

BSR leads a variety of sector and issue-specific working groups that address supply chain-related issues. These include groups on: Beyond Monitoring approach, Agricultural Water, Apparel Water Quality, China-Hong Kong Buyer's Compliance, Clean Cargo, Electronics Industry Code of Conduct, Labor Standards, Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative, and Sustainable Freight. More detailed information on each of these groups can be found in the Working Groups section.

Labor Law and Labor Rights Information Center

Developed by BSR, this database tool provides detailed reports on comprehensive labor laws in more than 60 countries in areas such as child labor, minimum wage rates, health and safety, and working hours.

China Training Initiative

BSR has developed a curriculum and partnered with experts in China to conduct a series of trainings addressing challenging labor issues facing companies sourcing in the country. The goal is the development of management systems to promote improved working, health and safety conditions.

Supply Chain Management Example Projects

Strategy

BSR led this food and beverage retail company through the process of developing a comprehensive policy and approach for managing a new product's supply chain. The project included a risk assessment analysis, the development of a verification system and recommendations for stakeholder engagement.
BSR developed the prototype of a country risk assessment tool to help this global communications company better assess and manage risk at the business partner-level. The tool and related reports included information on the overall human rights climates of various countries, as well as detailed labor rights information.

Policy and Code Development

BSR worked closely with this global consumer products company to develop a code of conduct that clearly articulated company standards for its suppliers on labor and environmental issues.
BSR helped this global home improvement retailer benchmark, research and draft a policy on forestry practices and sustainable timber purchasing in its supply chain.

Program Implementation

BSR has undertaken several long-term engagements with leading apparel and consumer product companies to help them address critical industry issues and satisfy stakeholder demands in areas such as labor rights, discrimination, living wage, migrant and worker education, and country-specific challenges in Asia and Latin America.
BSR analyzed and made recommendations on the applicability of the SA8000 and other CSR standards to the energy sector to help this oil and gas company improve labor practices in its supply chain.
BSR provided strategic evaluation and counsel on this company's supplier evaluation policies, forms and processes to help this global technology company develop more effective monitoring of its supply chain partners. The focus of the work included recommendations on issues including: monitoring programs, monitoring resources, remediation, metrics, risk evaluation, cost justification, and quantifying the associated costs of non-compliance.
BSR engaged with global field staff of this leading pharmaceutical company to develop a methodology and process for worldwide compliance with the company's living wage standard. The research employed quantitative analyses of wages in seven countries and interviews with human rights experts and key internal staff.
As part of BSR's strategic human rights work with this global automobile company, BSR staff accompanied third-party auditors on factory visits to suppliers in China to observe the social auditing process and provide feedback on possible improvements. The results of these visits helped inform the company's code of conduct and overall approach to sourcing in China and globally.

For more information, please contact us at web@bsr.org.