The various Maersk business units make millions of purchasing decisions each year, with a large share of these decisions made locally. Our suppliers are spread across the globe and work in accordance with varying standards and cultural norms. Because of this diversity, our responsible procurement work aims for continuous improvement, capability-building and risk management, while also recognising the diversity of practices in our supply chain.

Third-Party Code of Conduct
In 2010, we began work on bringing greater consistency to the standards we apply when selecting and working with suppliers. Part of this work involves our suppliers’ acknowledging and implementing our Third-Party Code of Conduct. This code reflects our commitment to the UN Global Compact and the core labour conventions of the International Labour Organisation. It addresses anti-corruption, labour practices, environmental protection and the human rights of supplier employees.

Building sustainable relationships
The code – and our responsible procurement work in general – isn’t intended as means of disqualifying and punishing suppliers. It is meant to help them better understand sustainability performance and to build up capacity and management systems for improving their own performance. The code does include legally binding contract terms, on-site audits and improvement plans.