Part of being a responsible IT distributor is acknowledging the human rights risks associated with our supply chains. At Westcon-Comstor, we’re committed to ensuring there are no human rights abuses occurring in our supply chains or any other part of our business.
Our Supplier Code of Conduct reflects our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships. This commitment is underpinned by Datatec’s membership of the UN Global Compact and the incorporation of its 10 principles within the group’s policies. This includes supporting and respecting the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights and making sure there is no complicity in human rights abuses.
FY23 modern slavery audit
In FY22-23, we carried out a modern slavery audit of our top 10 stocking vendors which represent most of our revenue. We asked them to complete a 36-part questionnaire to help us assess the effectiveness of their modern slavery programmes and to understand the risks in our supply chain.
As part of this, we asked for information on which countries the vendors’ products are manufactured in. We received nine responses, with key results as follows:
have a modern slavery policy
inspected the premises of direct suppliers
expect first-tier suppliers to adhere to modern slavery policy
uncovered incidence of modern slavery in their supply chain within the last 12 months
have mapped out their supply chain and carried out modern slavery risk assessments
operate a whistleblowing hotline
What we ask for
All new stocking vendors undergo an onboarding process to ensure they are operating legally and ethically. This includes adherence to our Business Code of Conduct which requires ethical dealing with suppliers and customers, adherence to our anti-slavery policy and a zero-tolerance approach to slavery, child labour, and human trafficking. Subcontractors are also required to comply with the principles of our Supplier Code of Conduct.
As part of our contracts for stocking vendors, we also require adherence to the Responsible Business Alliance Code of Conduct, which includes specific prohibitions against the use of forced, compulsory, or trafficked labour, or anyone held in slavery or servitude.
Stocking vendors are required to disclose whether there are any conflict minerals in products we source from them. These are natural resources sourced from the Democratic Republic of Congo and adjoining countries where there is armed conflict and human rights abuses.
