Founded in 2011, the purpose of TfS is to develop and implement a global audit program to assess and improve sustainability practices within the supply chains of the chemical industry.

The company has joined the six existing members – BASF, Bayer, Evonik Industries, Henkel, LANXESS and Solvay – with the aim of building on established principles such as the United Nations Global Compact and the Responsible Care Global Charter.

AkzoNobel’s chief procurement officer said: “We already carry out extensive sustainability assessments in our own supply chains”.

“But by integrating TfS into our existing strategy we will enhance our current processes and further improve the quality of our supply chains for the benefit of our customers.”

AkzoNobel’s head of integrated supply chain, David Allen, added: “As well as helping the company to strengthen its risk management processes and prioritise improvement areas, signing up to TfS will also make our supply chains more robust and enable us to expand more effectively in emerging markets”.

The TfS initiative involves independent experts carrying out assessments and audits of suppliers. Results and scorecard ratings are then shared within TfS on a web-based collaborative platform.

Leigh Stringer

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