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About
wienerberger Procurement
wienerberger’s mission is to create sustainable value for its customers and stakeholders. This is why we have made sustainability, innovation and customer satisfaction the main pillars of our procurement vision.
wienerberger Procurement's objective is to contribute to the company's vision and mission and to work with suppliers who are ready and willing to join us on this journey. Over the past five years, the Procurement organization has evolved to become a driver of business development thanks to strong business alignment and new hybrid organization. Since 2019, Procurement has been positioned as a strategic function, across all areas of the business, enabling synergies in areas such as energy, materials, capital investments and services.
It has paid off: over the past four years the Procurement organization was able to cope with constant supply disruptions, unprecedented costs and high inflation. But the journey isn’t over, our contribution to mitigate environmental challenges and the ambitious goals of our sustainability strategy require –a strong focus on procurement in addition to a sustainable value creation.
We look forward to working with our suppliers to attain and exceed these goals, and we welcome new collaborations with companies whose strategies are well aligned with wienerberger’s.
“The procurement team is driving sustainability and value creation throughout our supplier value chain, laying the foundations for a greener and more innovative future. Through this focus, we are setting new standards and sending a clear and strong signal as the market leader in sustainable procurement in our industry.”
© Marjolein den Hartog
Sustainable sourcing
Every year, wienerberger buys goods and services worth over € 1.6 billion. Our procurement management focuses on climate mitigation, energy efficiency, biodiversity, and circular economy. Furthermore, digital platforms have been implemented to facilitate our collaboration with our suppliers. The development of our employees working in procurement is key and specialized training on ESG topics has been implemented.
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Supplier Partnership
How do we engage with our key-suppliers and evaluate the synergies from these strategic alliances?
wienerberger Procurement has established its Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) approach and protocol in 2020, as part of the wienerberger Procurement Responsible Sourcing strategy 2020+.
We aim to measure and recognize the value delivered by our key suppliers in the areas of operational and sustainability development. With an effective and open communication, we want to encourage continuous supplier performance improvements in these areas and strengthen the business relation between our suppliers and wienerberger.
A great contributor to our resilience in 2020 – 2023 period has been this close alignment and communication with our supplier base, which minimized the effect on our group performance during this difficult period.
“Our procurement system based on ESG criteria has taken my talks with our partners to an entirely different level. It motivates our suppliers to join forces in embarking on a new and more sustainable course.”
What do we look for in our supply partners
- Does the supplier’s services contribute into wienerberger's strategy?
- Do the materials/products technically enhance our portfolio?
- Is the supplier looking for a long-term mutually beneficial relationship?
- Is the supplier constantly looking to improve in areas of sustainability and innovation?
Platinum medal for wienerberger’s sustainability management
Sustainable sourcing is a pillar of our business ethics. By signing the wienerberger Social Charter back in 2001, we undertook to comply with the conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO). In 2003, wienerberger acceded to the UN Global Compact. The company also endorses the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Last year, the Responsible Sourcing Policy was rolled out to the entire group.
Our efforts are bearing fruit: In 2023, wienerberger’s sustainability management was awarded a platinum medal by EcoVadis, a leading international sustainability rating agency, with our specific Sustainable Procurement score of 90%. This distinction underlines our strong position as an advocate of sustainability in the building materials industry: wienerberger ranks as n°1 in the industry for the pillar Sustainable Procurement and well above the industry’s average in all other pillars from ethics to environmental protection, labor rights, and human rights.
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