ESG 23 Final Single pages - Flipbook - Page 61
Suppliers
RWS is committed to ethical and
responsible sourcing and engagement with
suppliers who share common principles
of fair and honest trading, demonstrate a
commitment to maintaining satisfactory
working conditions, and comply fully with
all applicable legal requirements of those
regions in which our operations take place.
During FY23 we engaged with our suppliers in numerous
ways. These included newsletters, vendor feedback and
satisfaction surveys, holiday capacity surveys, buddy
meetings between language leads, monthly welcome calls,
on-boarding sessions, specialised training sessions (such
as programme-speci昀椀c post-editing training delivered on
an individual basis, workshops on creative translations
and best practices for our service providers, specialised
training on subtitling and challenges for APAC languages),
as well as surveys to get feedback on the training provided
and their feedback on ESG materiality.
The maintenance of a well-managed supply chain is a
priority for RWS. Our suppliers are selected on quality,
service and cost criteria as part of our responsible
procurement practices.
We believe sustainable sourcing is essential as it
helps reduce risks in the supply chain and meets the
expectations of our stakeholders. It helps us make
informed and balanced decisions when purchasing
products and services to ensure we get the best value
for money while ensuring we take into account the
environmental, social and ethical aspects over the whole
product or service life cycle.
The RWS Group Supplier Code of Conduct outlines our
core principles for supplier conduct, including compliance
with laws and regulations, labour and human rights,
terms and conditions of employment, working conditions,
discrimination, harassment and retaliation, payment
for services rendered, child labour, health and safety,
sustainable development and environmental protection,
data privacy and anti-corruption and bribery. We are
mindful of our obligations under the Modern Slavery
Act, 2015 and our commitment to eliminate slavery and
human tra昀케cking in our supply chain. Our 2023 Modern
Slavery and Human Tra昀케cking Statement sets out our
commitment to understanding our modern slavery risks
and ensuring that our business and supply chain are free
from modern slavery and human tra昀케cking, together with
our policies and governance.
RWS has a diverse supply chain with suppliers located in
166 countries across multiple categories. These include
technology (hardware, software, cloud, telecom, etc.),
indirect (consulting, marketing, stationery, travel, etc.), and
direct (production-related services, etc.) suppliers.
RWS supply chain can be categorised into two main areas:
•
•
Direct suppliers – these include:
•
Freelancers – individuals who provide us with
localisation services
•
Single language vendors (SLV) and multi-language
vendors (MLV)
•
Non-professionals – individuals who are part of our
crowdsourcing service
Indirect suppliers – these are both small and large
companies who provide us with products and services
We wish to do business with responsible suppliers
and subcontractors who understand the nature of the
products, materials and services they are supplying, and
with those who recognise their responsibility to protect
the environment and manage good relationships with
their colleagues and local communities.
We expect all suppliers and subcontractors to manage
the environmental and social impacts of their business
operations. Suppliers and subcontractors should, where
appropriate, adapt their business practices to ensure that
they meet with our Supplier Code of Conduct. Our supply
chain has our full support in working towards compliance.
RWS prides itself on paying its suppliers promptly and in
FY20 signed up to the Prompt Payment Code. During FY23
our average payment terms to suppliers was 37 calendar
days.
It is our intention to roll out our Supplier Code of Conduct
to all suppliers, capturing evidence of acceptance. We
have developed a Group-wide Sustainable Procurement
Policy which, demonstrates our commitment to the
United Nations Ten Principles. Additionally, we have set
formal Group-wide KPIs, are working on a cohesive global
onboarding process for new suppliers and a formal
audit capability (focusing initially on geographic regions
and revenue). This will enable us to review 昀椀ndings on a
Group-wide basis and co-ordinate the necessary activities
to enhance supply chain resilience and reduce business
risks.
We believe it is important to have two-way communication
with our suppliers to foster better relationships and keep
them updated on our requirements, as well as assisting
with e昀케ciencies, quality, insight, costs and reliability.
SOCIAL RWS Holdings plc — ESG Report 2023
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