Responsible Sourcing

A message from Steve Nikolopoulos, Chief Procurement Officer & Senior Vice President of Enterprise Procurement


As a global leader in consumer goods, we recognize our responsibility to ensure that our products are produced in a manner that aligns with our values and ethical standards. We understand the significance of working with suppliers who prioritize social compliance standards, such as fair labor practices, human rights, and supply chain security, to prevent the risk of contraband or unsafe products entering our supply chain. Our customers and consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of the impact that their purchases have on the world. They want to know that the products they buy are ethically and responsibly sourced and align with their principles and values. By prioritizing responsible sourcing practices, we can meet the demands of our consumers and build a loyal customer base that values our commitment to social and environmental responsibility. Moreover, responsible sourcing is not only important from a moral standpoint but also from a business perspective. In recent years, supply chain disruptions caused by environmental disasters, geopolitical tensions, and the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the need for resilient supply chains. By working with suppliers who prioritize supply chain resiliency, we can mitigate the risk of disruptions and continue to deliver high-quality products to our customers. We will continue prioritizing responsible sourcing practices, including social compliance and supply chain security for Newell Brands. By doing so, we can not only uphold our values and ethical standards but also meet the demands of our consumers and ensure the resilience of our supply chain.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

Steve Nikolopoulos

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Responsible Sourcing Program

Our responsible sourcing program, which includes social compliance and supply chain security, aims to increase transparency across our supply chain to ensure our customers and consumers receive high-quality and ethically produced or sourced products.

Our relationship with suppliers ensures that all businesses have a fair and equitable opportunity to participate in any outsourced Newell Brands projects. We are committed to ethical practices that ultimately contribute to our ability to provide innovative, quality products to our consumers and grow our brands.

We invite suppliers to compete for our business; in return, suppliers can expect a level playing field. We have no hidden factors in evaluating suppliers and submitted proposals – all relevant decision criteria will be spelled out before soliciting a proposal.

  

Vendor Code of Conduct & Responsible Sourcing Manual

Our Vendor Code of Conduct establishes the standards of conduct we expect from our suppliers in several areas, including human rights, labor, environmental compliance and management practices. In addition, our Responsible Sourcing Manual provides detailed technical specifications for factory standards and corrective actions suppliers can take should they fail to meet those standards.

Our Responsible Sourcing program is based upon Newell Brands'  Code of Conduct and , along with the requirements of our customers' Responsible Sourcing standards. We apply various pieces of training focused on root cause analysis and supplier development with our suppliers. For more details on our Social Compliance & Supply Chain Security programs, including our assessment program, issues, and program requirements, please review our Vendor Code of Conduct:

Vendor Code of Conduct

  

Regulatory Statements

California Transparency in Supply Chains Act of 2010

U.K. Modern Slavery Act Statement

Australian Modern Slavery Act Statement

Conflict Minerals Disclosure and Report

  

 

Social Compliance

The objective of our social compliance work is to responsibly source from suppliers that align with our Vendor Code of Conduct while also enhancing the satisfaction of our customers and consumers. Additional benefits of social compliance include reducing disruptions to our supply chain, improving transparency, protecting our brand reputation and enhancing supplier capabilities.

In 2022, we established a set of objectives to measure our responsible sourcing progress. You can read about our progress in our annual Corporate Citizenship Report.

  • Achieve a 90 percent corrective action plan closure rate

  • Conduct quarterly training webinars for suppliers

  • Hold annual supplier training events

  • Audit 100 percent of vendors on a three-year rolling basis

  

Zero-tolerance Issues & Human Rights 

Human rights are a focus of Newell’s Code of Conduct and Vendor Code of Conduct and inform our zero-tolerance stance on many sourcing-related issues:

  • Child labor

  • Forced or prison labor

  • Bribery attempts in any form

  • Discrimination

  • Harassment

  • Corporal punishment

  • Unauthorized subcontracting

  • Falsified documents

  • Denial of access

  • Circumvention of the audit process

  • Wastewater discharge into the environment without treatment

  • Contraband container content

Human rights due diligence risk assessments are addressed by internal and external third-party social compliance audits against the Vendor Code of Conduct. Our annual supplier training and our quarterly webinars include tracks on zero-tolerance issues. 

Audits also ensure suppliers have established the appropriate grievance mechanisms for their factory employees. Newell Brands continues to provide a 24-hour hotline that any Newell Brands employee or supplier’s employee can use to report a complaint in good faith without fear of retaliation.   

If you have questions about our Vendor Code of Conduct or Responsible Sourcing Manual, please email our team at  responsiblesourcing@newellco.com .