Supplier Code of Conduct
“At Smucker, we have always believed in operating ethically and responsibly. In this spirit, our Global Supplier Code of Conduct outlines the expectations we have around labor practices and human rights, business integrity, environmental considerations and reporting and enforcement. We appreciate our suppliers’ shared commitment to ensuring ethical and responsible practices throughout our supply chain.” Jeannette Knudsen, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary.
To ensure convenient access for all partners, the Supplier Code of Conduct is presented in languages most common to our supplier partners. Please click the link below to view the Supplier Code of Conduct in your preferred language.
Global Responsible Sourcing Program
The strategic goal of our Global Responsible Sourcing program is to drive positive change across our supply chain while increasing efficiency and supporting business growth. The program’s success requires support from senior leadership and compliance through our teams and partners.
With the Supplier Code of Conduct as the foundation establishing our expectations, the Global Responsible Sourcing program is coordinated through assessments of all direct suppliers to ensure adherence to the environmental and social standards established. Our suppliers complete detailed questionnaires that provide us with transparency on their processes.
Suppliers are expected to complete any corrective actions resulting from the self-assessment questionnaires or on-site audits within a designated period of time
These assessments are evaluated in detail to determine areas that require further investigation and what remediation may be necessary. When issues are identified, we work with the supplier to ensure that the matter can be resolved in a manner that meets our expectations for responsible practices across operations.
We monitor our suppliers regularly as we strive for continuous improvements to confirm compliance and assist us in achieving our objective to ensure a responsible supply chain.
Risk Assessment
We have performed multiple risk assessments that inform our supply chain prioritization. The agriculture risk assessment considered environmental, social and economic factors for ingredients that play a significant role in our supply chain. Environmental considerations include climate, soil health, water, deforestation, nutrient management, crop protection, habitat and biodiversity. Social considerations include but are not limited to the state of human rights and political stability in the countries where we source from. This then defines what supply chains we engage in, and how and what engagement entails.
Critical to our engagement in priority supply chains and regions is ensuring alignment on expectations and collaborating to ensure they are consistently met. Key steps include:
- Periodic assessments of suppliers
- Assessments of each individual supply chain based on the expectations of our Supplier Code of Conduct, including ensuring social and environmental compliance
Supplier Audits and Remediation
Social compliance audits based on the ETI Base Code* are completed by an independent third party. Pending results, a follow-up may be scheduled following the initial audit. The requirements of our supplier audit program emphasize continuous improvement and transparency. Generally social audits include these steps:
- Interviews with management and employees conducted by an APSCA registered third-party auditor according to the audit methodology chosen by each supplier facility
- Walkthrough of the audited facility
- Review of personnel files and other documentation
- Auditor’s preparation of audit report and recommended corrective action plan
Following auditing, we work with our suppliers to remedy issues that may arise. We do so through a diligent process consisting of:
- Identification of root cause to ensure correct action steps are taken
- Description of preventative action to ensure compliance moving forward
- Determination of timeframe for completion of preventative action to ensure alignment with plan
*Foreign language versions of the ETI Base Code are available at https://www.ethicaltrade.org/resources/eti-base-code
Encouraging Transparency
We believe that maintaining a responsible supply chain requires open communication, collaboration and partnership.
As part of our efforts to ensure transparency throughout the supply chain, we provide convenient access to report a potential issue anonymously and without fear of retaliation. Any worker who supports our supply chain may use our Smucker Integrity Portal (1-844-319-9352) or visit online to submit a report.
Additionally, we comply with the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act Disclosure.
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