Responsible procurement

Suppliers are our valuable partners. We want to be a responsible and trusted partner, so we also work closely with our suppliers to ensure a socially, environmentally and economically responsible value chain. We have a continuous dialogue on supplier innovations and ways to support our customers’ business.

All new suppliers are assessed on sustainability matters. It is essential that we consider sustainability as an integrated part of a performance evaluation, right next to financials, delivery and quality.  

During supplier onboarding, all new suppliers are required to register and complete a supplier profile. This profile includes a sustainability section with about 30 questions. We also ask our suppliers to electronically agree on Metso Outotec Supplier Code of Conduct.​​​​​​​ If their answers do not meet our minimum requirements (e.g. minimum age, anti-corruption policy, safety practices), we request corrective actions that are then followed up.

We have also started to engage with our biggest and most energy-intensive suppliers to review their current CO2 targets and ambition levels. In Metals, all high-volume suppliers are already engaged and the work is ongoing in Minerals. During the supplier on-boarding process, we ask our suppliers to provide details about their CO2 emissions reduction target. For smaller suppliers starting to define their CO2 targets, we provide guidance and tools to support them in calculating their GHG emissions and setting their CO2 targets.

In order to involve our suppliers in the battle against climate change, we have set a target that 30% of suppliers in terms of spend have set science-based emissions target(s) by 2025. We have also set a target for our logistics to reduce CO2 emissions by 20% by 2025.

One way to ensure and support compliance with our Supplier Code of Conduct is to conduct supplier sustainability audits. We have developed an annual auditing program that identifies the suppliers to be audited based on a supplier sustainability risk assessment.

Metso Outotec’s third-party audits cover many aspects of sustainability, including safety, environment, product safety, labor and other human rights, and risk management. Prior to the audit, the suppliers are asked to complete an audit sustainability self-assessment in an online portal. Based on the audit findings, we agree on corrective action plans together with the supplier after each sustainability audit. We follow up on the implementation of the corrective actions on the agreed time schedule.

In addition to auditing, we use other means to engage with suppliers and support them in improving their sustainability performance. For instance, “Supplier Sustainability Days” are organized to create awareness and train our suppliers. Through active communication, training events and process improvement, we help suppliers in their development towards more sustainable operations.

To provide sustainability training for the whole supply base, we have created "Supplier Sustainability.” This includes various e-learning courses such as Metso Outotec supplier sustainability expectations, Metso Outotec Supplier Code of Conduct, human rights, CO₂ emissions reduction and good safety practices.

New users: Register to our Learning system

Registered users: Open our Learning system and browse for Supplier courses​