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Your Guide to Responsible Sourcing in the Supply Chain
Responsible Sourcing can mean a number of things and inform on many risks. Sourcing issues often stem from consumer concerns or regulatory requirements for many of those same concerns.
The Impact of Sourcing Responsibly
A customer or downstream consumer could be concerned about the impact to climate change or to the environment based on the source of materials. Diseases in humans or animals can also be a concern such as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or Mad Cow Disease which carry the concern of spread of the disease with sources of contamination from the supply chain to food packaging or even medical devices.
Material sources can also change downstream certifications such as Kosher or Halal certification when used from sources that do not follow the proper guidelines, certification or beliefs. Knowing whether a Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) is used in a supply chain can change the ability to certify downstream as GMO-free, Non-GMO or even organic. Some requirements can be made as part of the certification of the supply chain, in instances like sustainable palm oil by organizations such as the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil. Material source is very helpful to know when determining contaminants or lack of risk. Sometimes the same chemical can be made by either tallow animal sources or vegetable sources. Some sources are naturally occurring whereas others are synthetically made like natural rubber or synthetic rubber, for example.
How 3E Can Help
3E Connect™, streamlines the exchange of material, product and supplier information throughout the global supply chain. 3E can stand as your single source of truth for supply chain compliance, creating an intelligent and actionable knowledge base for the origins, makeup and compliance status of your substances, components, articles, complex articles and products. Our team collects, validates and manages compliance documentation regarding sustainably sourced materials. Currently our offering contains questions about material sources but is likely to expand as consumer demand grows.
If you are being contacted by 3E for information you will be provided a supplier portal to submit the information required for Responsible Sourcing by your customer.
Resources
Definition of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)
Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification process
Certificate of Suitability European Pharmacopoeia (CEP) DCEP of the EDQM
European Medicines Agency animal spongiform encephalopathy EMEA/410/01 Rev. 3
EU 1774/2002/EC animal by products Category 3 Material in Article 6
Webinars
3E Connect Responsible Sourcing - Supplier Training
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