To meet environmental challenges, satisfy increasingly stringent regulations and meet customer requirements, ADDEV Materials is implementing a responsible purchasing policy, in particular by evaluating suppliers. Its aim is to build sustainable commercial relationships with suppliers, based on shared values and sensible practices.
95 % of ADDEV Materials's environmental footprint is linked to the products it buys. The entire value chain upstream of its activity is therefore an integral part of its sustainable development approach.
As a processor of high-performance materials, ADDEV Materials is subject to regulations such as REACH for chemical substances and IMDS for the automotive sector, and is anticipating future regulations that will become stricter over time. It is also driven by its customers, such as OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and Tier 1 suppliers, whose strong objectives have a cascading effect throughout the supply chain.
Although its purchasing structure is fairly recent, ADDEV Materials is convinced of the benefits of responsible purchasing. This involves seeking out 'green' products and ensuring that its suppliers respect social commitments and business ethics. Transparency is an essential point: this implies the possibility of having access to information, but also to their sites and products in order to carry out quality or technical audits.
ADDEV Materials has set itself the target of having 75 % of its suppliers sign its Responsible Purchasing Charter by 2024. This charter, updated in 2021, will be rolled out in 2022, in parallel with supplier evaluations and self-audits. Given the size of its suppliers and the weight that ADDEV Materials represents among them, this is an ambitious target.
"Our approach to responsible purchasing is mainly based on promoting our business and evaluating our suppliers. Gradually, we are moving towards a collaborative approach through joint projects involving product development, relocation of production to bring us closer to the place of consumption, development of product applications and the use of recyclable/recycled or alternative products", explains Patrick Grande, Purchasing Director.
Replacing a rivet or screw with adhesive tape to lighten a vehicle, replacing a plastic product with a wood-based paper product... purchasing works with suppliers to envisage new solutions and supports the Innovation teams to develop more environmentally-friendly solutions. In addition, in order to optimise the resources of suppliers, we are going to launch an initiative to monitor their activities in order to take stock of their internal developments and assess the opportunities for our customers. ADDEV Materials is a key player in transforming its customers' industrial challenges into sustainable solutions.