Responsible partners are in the centre of our operations. Key targets:
- We have 100% coverage of signed Supplier Code of Conducts with our contract suppliers by 2025.
- We have audited all strategic suppliers periodically by 2025.
- We have joined sustainability action plan and targets with prioritised suppliers by 2025.
During 2022 we will implement the Responsible Sourcing programme on Neova Group level. The Responsible Sourcing programme includes actions to ensure and improve environmental and social responsibility with our suppliers. This includes for example increasing of Supplier CoC coverage for contract suppliers as well as joint action planning, joint targets and supplier relationship management with strategic suppliers to improve social and environmental responsibility, including follow-up by controlled supplier audit programme.
Ongoing implementation of Neova Group new sourcing and supplier management system will support the Responsible Sourcing programme progress, including online visibility to Supplier CoC coverage, development actions and audits.
Suppliers and contractors share and respect our values
Supplier Code of Conduct (CoC) is an important part of our sustainability, and we need to ensure that our suppliers share and respect our values. During 2021 we have implemented Supplier CoC systematically to all new purchasing agreements. In total, we have conducted 29 supplier audits and 27 supplier self-evaluations to our strategic and tactical suppliers to monitor fulfilment of Supplier CoC requirements. In Kekkilä-BVB, we conducted 8 audits and 24 supplier self-evaluations. By the end of 2025 we target to cover all contract suppliers with Supplier Code of Conduct.
We encourage our operational contractors to make safety, environment and quality observations regularly and we make corrective actions based on the feedback. We also conduct an accident investigation for each reported accident by our contractors, and the key contractors take part of the safety walks done in our production sites.
Overall, in peat and wood production peak seasons of 2022 in Finland alone we have approximately 100 main contractors with roughly 700 people (including their employees or sub-contractors), and ~150 peat and wood transportation contractors plus ~100 contractors in other operations. In Sweden we have ~60 and in Estonia ~10 main contractors in peat production.
In Kekkilä-BVB operations, we have several loader and maintenance contractors working at our production sites. We also use several professional contractors at our sites for installation work in Kekkilä-BVB and New Businesses investment projects.