Qualitative Online Feedback: Supply Chain Disclosure - Global ...

Comment Constituency Region Reporting
Relationship
I feel that for the G4 the GRI should try and make the guide much more concise and succint and in that way make it much more
useable. To this end, all unnecessary wording should be eliminated.
The definitions “supplier” and “supply chain” are very broad. They range from “contractors” to “sub-contractors”. The definition of
suppliers will have a significant impact on the amount of data and the possibility to evaluate the data. Such data is not available in
the systems and systems will have to be adjusted. Furthermore, the “types of suppliers” needs to be defined (e.g. service supplier?
supplier of goods?). The term “existing suppliers” is not specific enough (e.g. active suppliers or all suppliers?)
Business Europe Reporter
Further comments on this are made e.g. on p.53 (EC6), p.64ff (G4 5ff).
The definitions of “supply chain” and “supplier” are generally appropriate and helpful, except for the confusion related to “value
chain”. Please see comments below on the terms “value chain”, “stakeholder” and “parties”. The definition text “The part of the
value chain which consists of” may not be required.
The flexibility to determinate the depth and scope of supply chain must be left to each reportee. In their evaluation of the
stakeholders need for informations and concerns the exact approach to determinater the reportee value change definition will
come up clearly
The G4 draft Glossary specifies that suppliers can be companies (obviously small or large) or individual consultants or home workers.
Supply chain related indicators (e.g. under Screening and Assessment) ask for the percentage of suppliers meeting certain criteria. If
there are a few large suppliers, and a large number of single-person suppliers, a small "percentage" number might mean almost all
of the supplies purchased. And it would often be impossible in practical terms to get numeric information on the exact number of all
suppliers, if this includes very small contracts. To make the definitions and indicators meaningful, percentage information should be
changed to proportion of purchase value, or suppliers should be changed to significant suppliers (defined as having a high
contribution to purchase value).
The inclusion of the words indirectly in the supplier definition is too broad, too vauge and reporters would struggle to define this
adequately. Suggest this be removed from the definition
The removal of the term “significant supplier” is problematic (page 77 line 969, p. 78 line 972 and elsewhere, definition on p. 230).
Given that the guidance on how to define supply chain does not specify mapping only “significant” suppliers, the resulting
disclosures on all suppliers would be impractical.
p. 315 lines 2693-2696: As currently worded, this definition of “home workers” would include employees telecommuting from home
- these are employees, not suppliers. Suggest revising this definition.
The supplier concept is appropriate for downstream analysis, but it does not reflect the need to look upstream as well (clients). In
actual facts the screening cannot be limited to the supply chain, but also need to be extended to the clients. Some of the indicators
need to be specifically extended to the upstream chain (the clients). You do want to know if the clean pieces of metal produced are
then used to manufacture dirty bombs
The supplier definition sets a very broad scope. Recommend allowing categories within this definition, and allowing companies to
report on different categories individually, as long as they specify the category on which they are reporting.
Business Europe Reporter
Business Latin America Reporter
Mediating
Institution
Mediating
Institution
Business
Northern
America
Oceania
Northern
America
Consultant
Reporter
Consultant
Report Reader
Reporter
Business Europe Reporter
Report Reader
Business
Northern
America
Reporter
Second G4 Public Comment Period: Submissions
Document 8 of 12 – Qualitative Online Feedback: Supply Chain Disclosure
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