H.C. Starck GmbH has aligned its sourcing policy to broad sustainability
criteria.
The newly developed sourcing process, “Responsible Supply Chain Management
(RSCM),”
may also become an international standard.
The company independently began to develop and implement the standard to
refute claims of the use of “illegal” materials and to show that it is possible
to practice a socially and ecologically acceptable raw material policy
throughout the industry. The Electronic Industry Citizenship Council (EICC) is
also demanding a sustainable and reliable sourcing of raw materials for the
electronic industry.
As the first company in its sector, H.C. Starck has introduced a sourcing
process based on RSCM. In addition to several internationally recognized ISO
and SA standards, RSCM takes into account traceability, transparency, and the
far-reaching ethical, social, and environmentally friendly principles of raw
material sourcing. The international launch of RSCM at H.C. Starck was tested
and reviewed by BUREAU VERITAS Certification, an independent expert.
“H.C. Starck sets new international standards with the raw material
management system that we have initiated of our own accord,” said Andreas Meier,
Ph.D., chairman of the executive board. “Our RSCM activities are unique in our
sector and have received international acclaim, as evidenced by the fact that
H.C. Starck was recently nominated by the World Trade Group for the Sourcing
Excellence Award in recognition of its sustainable RSCM commitment.”
The core element of RSCM are supplier audits, through which the proof of
origin of the raw materials and thus the relevant documentation of
replicability are verified. The standards defined in the RSCM system are
also assessed, especially in connection with the sourcing of raw materials from
mines. H.C. Starck draws on its extensive pool of data and years of experience
in the evaluation of raw material sources to check the plausibility of the
assessment. Only those sources that are able to pass such an audit will be able
to supply H.C. Starck. The company has already successfully conducted the first
test audits with suppliers.
For more information, visit
www.hcstarck.com.
