Supplier Assessment is an integral part of our ethos and is intended to aid our suppliers development in the field of ethical & environmental issues.

The assessment takes the form of a questionnaire that is issued to all suppliers. The suppliers are reviewed on their responses and issued a grade.

If a supplier receives the top grade they are awarded status and qualify for Sound* Ethical Choice.  

Our Sound Sourcing guide

Our sound sourcing guide contains a code of conduct that applies to all of our suppliers. The guide is sent out to all prospective new suppliers outlining the standards we expect from all of our suppliers.

The Code includes a commitment to the core conventions of the International Labour Organisation, as well as minimum environmental standards, such as having a regularly reviewed environmental policy.

Download a copy of the Sound Sourcing Guide

Ethical screening process

All our potential suppliers are ethically screened using a variety of websites. The purpose of the screening is to identify any controversial issues relating to the company, and includes establishing which institutions own the company, all the way up to the ultimate holding company.

The Ethical & Environmental Accreditation

All suppliers and major brandowners are required to complete our Accreditation. It comprises of 160 multiple-choice questions.

The questions are based on the social, ethical and environmental issues that are important or relevant to the student movement. The questionnaire has two functions...

• To check that the supplier meets our minimum standards
• To obtain a comparative score that will allow us to rank all of our suppliers based on their ethical and environmental policies and performance

Download a copy of the Accreditation Questionnaire

Contract Clauses

Should a supplier be successful in gaining a supply contract, supply is subject to several clauses. We can terminate a contract if a supplier:

• Is prosecuted for a breach of environmental legislation
• Breaches our Ethical Transparency Policy (i.e. if a supplier did not declare any historical or ongoing ethical issues at the start of a contract and these issues become an concern amongst our shareholders during the contract)
• Carries out ethically improper behaviour, as deemed by NUS Services

These clauses are intended to be used as levers for constructive engagement, rather than as inflexible conditions.