Empowering Procurement for a Sustainable Future with Sedex

11 January 2024

As a leading food procurement company, our commitment to responsible sourcing has been strengthened through our partnership with Sedex (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange). Recently, we took a significant step forward by engaging Sedex to conduct Sustainable Procurement training for our procurement, category business management (CBM) and sourcing teams.

For seven years, our partnership with Sedex has helped us to improve the visibility and traceability of our supply chains and facilitate risk assessments.

For our clients, this commitment to sustainable procurement translates into a supply chain they can trust—a supply chain that reflects our dedication to ethical practices and responsible sourcing. It means the products that they buy are not just of high quality but have a positive impact on the environment and society.

Sedex Training: Shaping Responsible Decision-Making

In November 2023, our procurement, CBM and sourcing teams underwent tailored training sessions led by Sedex. These sessions weren't just about learning; they were about empowering our teams to be catalysts for positive change. These sessions aim to:

Educate our teams on sustainability risks in the supply chain.
Highlight red flags in vendor selection.
Build confidence in our teams to proactively address sustainability challenges and make decisions that resonate with our values.
Support our sustainability commitments.

The Sedex training helps to ensure that every member of our procurement and sourcing teams is not just aware of sustainability but is actively contributing to a future where responsible sourcing is the norm. With this training, our teams are armed with further knowledge and confidence, leading the charge towards a more sustainable future.

Hariander Singh, Head of Sustainability & Compliance at Foodbuy, who led the projects said:

“I was super encouraged to see over 30 colleagues from our procurement, category business management and sourcing function join the Sedex training, highlighting the recognition of the role procurement has to play in safeguarding our supply chain and business reputation.

The transparency and visibility Sedex offers allow us and our supply chain to share and access information relating to supply chain practices. For a procurement team, this transparency is crucial to better understand and identify potential risks, and ensure that suppliers adhere to ethical standards.

Adopting Sedex practices demonstrates a commitment to ethical and responsible sourcing. This will no doubt enhance the reputation of Foodbuy and strengthen relationships with key stakeholders, clients, customers, investors, and employees, who rightly so are increasingly interested in our values, sustainability and ethical practices.

For me, I see Sedex as an integral part of the procurement team, as it supports transparency, risk management, supplier performance monitoring, efficiency in auditing, compliance with regulations, reputation management, and cost savings in the context of ethical and responsible sourcing. Sedex aligns with the growing emphasis on sustainability and ethical considerations in modern supply chain management and demonstrates yet again why Foodbuy are best in class.”

One of the participants, Emily Williams, Head of Category Business Management at Foodbuy, commented:

“The Sedex training was extremely insightful and gave new perspectives as to how we can support our Foodbuy Members and clients with their supply chain assurance."