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 in xlsx

Download a copy of the Accreditation Questionnaire in xls (some loss of function)

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.

Ethical and Environmental Statements

These statements, made jointly with NUS, outline our corporate position on a number of important and contentious ethical and environmental issues. They provide guidance for staff and volunteers and guidelines for suppliers, setting out the principles of how the organisations will conduct their business on behalf of their member Students' Unions.

Dave Lewis, NUS Treasurer, commented: "With the release of NUS' Strategic Plan 2008-10 last year, we committed ourselves to be more open and transparent with the membership on issues such as climate change and ethical judgements - this is exactly what these policies are about.”

The statements will be evolving documents which will shape internal policies and the culture of both organisations. They will be communicated to suppliers, partners and companies NUS and NUS Services are working with, ensuring there is clarity over our business practices and vision.

Catherine Dishington, Ethical & Environmental Coordinator at NUS Services, said: "These new corporate statements will be a fantastic tool for our members of staff, especially those procuring products and services, as they will help make sure that sensitive issues are taken into consideration at all stages of our decision making."

Download a copy of our Ethical Statement

Download a copy of our Environmental Statement