ESG supplier audits

Sustainable supply chains are no longer a distant ideal, but a pressing reality. This is driven by legal obligations, investor expectations, and evolving consumer preferences. Gone are the days of prioritising cost and delivery. Ethical sourcing, risk mitigation, and environmental impact are also paramount.

TÜV SÜD’s ESG supplier audits assess the maturity level and robustness of a supplier’s defined controls and implemented practices to:

• Manage Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) performance responsibly. 
• Address compliance with relevant regulations and standards. 
• Mitigate adverse impact risks. 
• Promote continuous improvement. 

Sound due diligence mandates thorough supply chain risk management. However, organisations struggle with control and a lack of resources to tackle ESG requirements. As the global business landscape is shifting so too are the demands placed on responsible organisations.

Navigating the complexities of a sustainable supply chain can be daunting. ESG supplier audits are crucial tools to manage due diligence obligations and protect your brand. They assess whether your supply chain is aligned to your values and complying with increasingly stringent regulations.

Supply chain audits demonstrate compliance against statutory ESG requirements, which means you avoid regulatory issues and legal challenges. Our on-site visits to supplier’s facilities independently cross-check your initial risk assessment. This identifies and mitigates against any risks and vulnerabilities. You enhance your brand reputation by fostering stakeholder engagement, gaining valuable insights from your suppliers, and developing joint action plans for continuous improvement. You can also be assured of greater investor confidence and increased access to capital by ensuring your suppliers adhere to sustainability and ethical standards.

TÜV SÜD offers impartial ESG supplier audits on a global scale, providing valuable insights into your upstream and downstream supply chain. Dedicated local project managers, backed up by an experienced international team of auditors and experts, ensure supply chain audits are flexible and cost-effective worldwide. Using our standardised TÜV SÜD checklist or your own code of conduct, we assess a supplier’s alignment to your sustainability expectations.

Our supplier audits evaluate if suppliers contribute to your sustainability goals, share similar values, and integrate ESG requirements into their daily operations. Additionally, we gauge supplier resilience, flexibility, and ability to respond rapidly to disruptions.

Our ESG supplier audits strike a balance between standard practices and addressing higher-risk areas. This ensures adherence to social, ethical, and environmental best practices. We also offer topic-specific supplier audits to enhance monitoring and address specific areas of improvement or remediation.