ISM Principles of Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Introduction
ISM firmly believes the supply management profession is a strategic contributor in the development and implementation of sustainability and social responsibility programs and behavior.

Supply professionals are in a unique, critical position to impact the global supply chain and therefore should supplement their organization’s work in sustainability and social responsibility by promoting sustainability and social responsibility through leadership and participation on appropriate committees, boards and panels of governmental and nongovernmental organizations.

Creating principles across social, industry, public and private, profit and nonprofit, political and country boundaries is both a challenge and an opportunity. This diversity presents a particular challenge in the area of sustainability and social responsibility, which does not have a lengthy history resulting in the development of well-known and universally acceptable best practices.

Laws, regulations, trade agreements, customs and practices pertinent to sustainability and social responsibility must also be considered in the development and implementation of business strategies, policies and procedures. In addition, the advent of new technologies that enable a “virtual” world influence the evolution of sustainability and social responsibility in a supply chain context.

Principles

1. Anti-Corruption
   Corruption in all of its forms, including extortion and bribery, will not be tolerated.
2. Diversity and Inclusiveness — Workforce and Supply Base
   Workforce. Workforce diversity and inclusiveness is the attraction and retention of a workforce that reasonably represents the customer and communities in which the organization operates.
   Supply Base. Attraction and retention of a diverse supply base is the responsibility of each supply professional.
3. Environment
   Supply management promotes protection, preservation and vitality of the natural environment.
4. Ethics and Business Conduct
   Every supply management professional is responsible for behaving ethically and actively promoting ethical conduct throughout the supply chain.
5. Financial Integrity and Transparency
   Financially responsible supply management is characterized by integrity and transparency in all supply-related dealings and decisions.
6. Global Citizenship
   Global citizenship is the ethical and moral obligation to act for the benefit of society locally, globally and virtually.
7. Health and Safety
   Health and safety is the condition of being protected or free from the occurrence of risk of injury, danger, failure, error, accident, harm and loss of life.
8. Human Rights
   Human beings have universal and natural rights and status regardless of legal jurisdiction and local factors.
9. Labor Rights
   Supply management is committed to protecting and respecting labor rights globally.
10. Sustainability
    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.