{"id":6008,"date":"2021-08-24T10:38:03","date_gmt":"2021-08-24T07:38:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meira.fi\/?p=6008"},"modified":"2024-02-15T13:36:17","modified_gmt":"2024-02-15T11:36:17","slug":"meira-pilots-self-assessment-of-sustainability-in-the-supply-chain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meira.fi\/en\/meira-pilots-self-assessment-of-sustainability-in-the-supply-chain\/","title":{"rendered":"Meira pilots self-assessment of sustainability in the supply chain"},"content":{"rendered":"

Meira has set ambitious sustainability targets for its sourcing for both coffee and spices. We will be sourcing 100% certified green coffee from the end of 2022 and this year we aim to reach the 80% level. For spices, the goal is to source 80% of raw materials from certified or low-risk sources (based on the BSCI classification) by the end of 2023.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201d<\/span>We\u00a0use many\u00a0ways\u00a0to verify the\u00a0sustainability\u00a0of the raw material. We always prefer third party certification (e.g. Rainforest Alliance, Fair Trade). For coffee, certified raw materials that meet our quality requirements are well available, but for spices, the situation is less comprehensive. In spices, we also accept raw materials coming through our partners’\u00a0sustainability\u00a0programs, if the principles of the program correspond to the principles and requirements of our procurement policy, e.g. respect for human rights and the protection of the environment, and if our partners can verify the implementation of the program up to farm level. We also conduct audits of the supply chain ourselves<\/span><\/i>,\u201d says\u00a0<\/span>Aija Pohjanen<\/span><\/b>, Meira’s procurement team manager.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It is important for Meira to work long-term with our partners in the supply chain. Long-term relationships increase trust,\u00a0transparency,\u00a0and the opportunity to build lasting improvement in the livelihoods of farmers and workers in countries of origin, as well as responsible practices.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are many ways to increase transparency, mutual understanding and achieving\u00a0common goals. There are regular discussions and meetings with strategic partners. Meira’s\u00a0procurement\u00a0visits the main countries of origin every year\u00a0\u2013\u00a0but\u00a0of course, due to the\u00a0COVID-19\u00a0pandemic, there has been a long break in the visits. This year, Meira has piloted a new tool to manage supply chain\u00a0sustainability\u00a0and increase\u00a0transparency:\u00a0supplier self-assessment survey.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0sustainability\u00a0self-assessment tool was implemented as part of a master’s thesis<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The\u00a0Sustainability Self-Assessment project began as an assignment in the fall of 2020, when\u00a0<\/span>Nelli\u00a0Sir\u00e9n<\/span><\/b>, who works as a purchasing assistant at Meira, began working on her master’s thesis as part of her Supply Management (M.Sc.) degree in\u00a0supply\u00a0management. The starting point was to write a\u00a0thesis\u00a0that strongly reflected\u00a0the\u00a0sustainability\u00a0goals set for the\u00a0procurement\u00a0of Meira. The topic of the master’s thesis was\u00a0<\/span>Creating a Sustainability\u00a0Framework for Supplier Evaluation<\/span><\/b>. The aim was to determine the\u00a0sustainability\u00a0criteria for supplier evaluation and to\u00a0study\u00a0the level of\u00a0sustainability\u00a0work of Meira’s supply chain partners\u00a0based on\u00a0supplier self-evaluation. The results of the self-assessment would serve as a basis for developing\u00a0sustainability\u00a0and\u00a0establishing\u00a0priorities in the supply chain. The aim was also to find focus areas for category-specific\u00a0sustainability\u00a0work and to explore the possibilities of new strategic partnerships.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe work started by looking at the potential risks associated with supply chain\u00a0sustainability\u00a0from both a social and environmental perspective. Based on those factors, the\u00a0main\u00a0themes\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0research were defined, and I conducted interviews with Meira’s procurement and\u00a0sustainability\u00a0experts.\u00a0After the research was done, a browser-based questionnaire\u00a0was formed. The questionnaire\u00a0was sent to Meira\u2019s suppliers selected for the pilot. The\u00a0main themes and questions of the\u00a0self-assessment are based on the three pillars of Meira’s Sourcing Policy, which are\u00a01) ethics and business integrity, 2) respecting human rights and 3) protection of the environment.\u00a0Suppliers\u00a0are expected to have\u00a0a clear view\u00a0and\u00a0knowledge of\u00a0the\u00a0sustainability\u00a0level of their own operations. From the\u00a0results, we can identify potential\u00a0red flags\u00a0and areas for improvement in terms of\u00a0sustainability<\/span><\/i>,\u201d\u00a0Nelli\u00a0repeats the stages of her work.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The self-assessment will help Meira\u00a0to\u00a0understand\u00a0better\u00a0how important the suppliers\u00a0perceive\u00a0sustainability\u00a0and what measures the suppliers have already taken towards\u00a0sustainability. Based on the answers, it is also possible to better identify supplier-specific risks and to be able to prioritize development measures and possible\u00a0supplier selections. Self-assessment of\u00a0sustainability\u00a0is also a great opportunity for suppliers to self-reflect and make development plans. The aim, of course, is mutual benefit – to establish an open dialogue, to identify development\u00a0areas\u00a0and to develop suppliers’ practices together.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The pilot’s results show that social\u00a0sustainability\u00a0is better managed<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The first results from the pilot have been analyzed. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>On a general level, the response rate for the self-assessment was good and the responses were accurate. All responding suppliers have e.g. written employment contracts. In general, it seems that more attention has been paid to social\u00a0sustainability\u00a0on farms and in the supply chain, such as employment issues, safety, pay and the possibility of sick leave, than to issues related to environmental\u00a0sustainability, where there is a clearer divergence between responses. For example, only about half of the respondents had targets for reducing climate emissions. Many of Meira’s suppliers have internal Code of Conduct guidelines, for example in relation to their own suppliers. Many suppliers have also been\u00a0accepted for\u00a0various environmental certificates<\/span><\/i>,\u201d\u00a0Nelli\u00a0reiterates the results of the pilot round.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Towards ever deeper cooperation with partners<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The next steps are a more in-depth analysis of the results, the identification of development measures related to the self-assessment tool and process, and the \u201cscoring\u201d of responses and suppliers. Fulfilling our\u00a0sustainability\u00a0criteria and investing in\u00a0sustainability\u00a0is one of Meira’s supplier selection criteria. In the coming years, the goal is to make self-assessment an integral part of supplier relationship management and supplier-specific\u00a0sustainability\u00a0risk assessment. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Supplier self-assessment helps us to develop responsible practices together with our partners and to deepen transparency in our supply chain. It is great\u00a0to continue with this<\/span><\/i>,\u201d\u00a0says Aija Pohjanen.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Meira has set ambitious sustainability targets for its sourcing for both coffee and spices. We will be sourcing 100% certified green coffee from the end of 2022 and this year we aim to reach the 80% level. For spices, the goal is to source 80% of raw materials from certified or low-risk sources (based on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":6009,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMeira pilots self-assessment of sustainability in the supply chain - Meira<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/meira.fi\/en\/meira-pilots-self-assessment-of-sustainability-in-the-supply-chain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meira pilots self-assessment of sustainability in the supply chain - Meira\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Meira has set ambitious sustainability targets for its sourcing for both coffee and spices. 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