At Lyreco the relationship with our suppliers is key and is based on a number of differing factors including honesty & fairness - we look for this throughout the supply chain. In particular, we expect suppliers to be legally compliant, respect the well-being of their employees, their local communities and the environment.
In the UK & Ireland we have relationships with approx 160 companies, supplying 5,000 quality products for our annual catalogue which is printed on 100% re-cycled paper. As one of our key objectives is to achieve value for money for our customers, we encourage competition, whether they are Pan-European or locally based UK / Irish Suppliers. However, in every case whether a new, existing or prospective supplier, we have a responsibility to treat them all in a fair and ethical manner.
Ethical and Environmental Considerations
All suppliers working with Lyreco have to sign the same Business Agreement, in which special attention is given to ensure the social impact of our sourcing practices is taken into consideration. Specifically, regarding ethical trading a clause in the contract states: The supplier must ensure that products selected: “Are manufactured or sourced from companies respecting recognised ethical trading standards. Companies must comply with local legislation on, including but not limited to, minimum wages, health, safety at work and no children employed at work.”
Suppliers have review meetings on a regular basis and we also hold a number of Supplier Day’s and audits throughout the year to give all suppliers an opportunity to fully understand our commitment to the environment and the expectations we have of them. Our Supplier Performance Improvement Programme is an assessment carried out annually under which, measurements of suppliers are taken using the same tools across the Lyreco group. Our targets include everything from delivery accuracy to marketing campaigns and environmental credentials. Moving forwards we aim to introduce a Supplier Code of Conduct along with a Purchasing Policy in 2007 to ensure we have more control and the supply chain takes additional ownership and responsibility.
We are also constantly looking at new and innovative ways to partner with our suppliers. For example, we accept many deliveries ‘double stacked’ and unlike many other Contract Stationers, all products are delivered to only one of two locations - our National Distribution Centre in Telford or Dublin which avoids unnecessary distribution of goods and services.
We take a collaborative approach with suppliers and recently met in a Corporate Responsibilty forum with five top suppliers to discuss best practice in this area. We aim to work closely with suppliers to improve practices across the board.
