For our suppliers

Workplace safety: an event addressed to suppliers

In May 2022 Acea organised an event at its La Fornace Conference Centre aimed at enhancing the awareness of contracting company employers and workers on the topic of accident prevention. Thanks to the support of the Group company RSPPs (Heads of Prevention and Protection Service) it was possible to involve 250 contractors.

The event, also available in live streaming, was presented with speeches from the Group’s managers who described the corporate strategy, strongly sustainability oriented, with special attention to the issue of occupational health and safety for the staff of contractors, considered key partners of the company.

In addition to contractor awareness initiatives with regard to safety and the monitoring of data, audits and inspections are performed regularly to ensure contractor compliance with safety standards. More specifically, the Acea Elabori Worksite Safety Unit, the reference structure, at Group level, for the safety management of outsourced works and services, conducted 14,724 safety inspections at worksites, following which a lower number and constantly downward trend was noted of the “major” non-compliance cases recorded. Apart from the audit of health and safety criteria, we make sure that our suppliers integrate key sustainability aspects into their business, paying attention to the environment, energy efficiency, utilisation of eco-sustainable materials and corruption.

78%
of suppliers qualified during the year completed the Quality, Environment, Safety, Energy and Sustainability self-assessment questionnaire
14,724
safety inspections at worksites (+3.6% compared to 2020) conducted by the Worksite Safety Unit

Data as at 31 December 2022

Focus on ethics and sustainability in Acea’s value chain

We create value also thanks to the responsible management of relationships with our suppliers, fundamental players for the ethical and sustainable activities of the entire Group. Supplier relationships and procurement management take place in accordance with our Code of Ethics, which, in the new version approved in 2022,  sets out the principles of sustainability, ethics and integrity underlying our business. Its key points are:

  • Observance of rules and procedures, including due diligence processes designed to evaluate potential risks of corruption;
  • Principles of transparency and protection of competition;
  • Principles of good faith, loyalty, professional correctness;
  • The valorisation of aspects pertaining to ethics and sustainability, such as observance of workers’ protection and safety conditions, the quality of goods, services and supplies, respect for the environment and the pursuit of energy savings.

Supplier selection and assessment

To ensure the quality of the work and promote sustainable worksite management, we only operate with qualified suppliers. In this connection, we have established qualification systems for the suppliers of work, goods and services, which can be accessed via our Vendor Management portal, already integrated with supplier details.

At the time of qualification, our suppliers are required to complete a self-assessment questionnaire - differentiated according to whether they provide goods and services or works - which focuses on Quality, Environment, Safety, Energy and other aspects of sustainability.

After qualifying, the supplier may be subjected to a second-party audit of the Quality, Environment, Safety, Energy and Social Responsibility (QASER) management systems, to verify their correct application, and the procedures for managing the areas of significance in terms of sustainability.

The Group Vendor Rating project was expanded during 2022 with a view to improving the monitoring of the supply chain. In particular, the assessment system will monitor several performance indicators, also including an indicator that rewards aspects associated with social and environmental sustainability, identified using the EcoVadis model.

Highlights

Discover the latest news and initiatives of the Acea Group