Does the company have a code of conduct for its own suppliers?

Code of conduct for suppliers is part of supply chain policy

This question is not about a separate document, but about how far the company's policy extends into its own supply chain. A code of conduct for suppliers (often called "supplier code of conduct") is one of the possible instruments through which a company imposes requirements on the parties from which it itself procures: working conditions, human rights, environment, integrity. Whether such a document exists depends on the company itself — there is no general obligation stating that every supplier must have one.

For the reporting questionnaires that stem from CSRD practice, this is usually a sub-question under a broader theme on the supply chain. It is often placed close to questions about human rights policy in the supply chain: a code of conduct is namely often the instrument through which that policy is concretely implemented towards suppliers. If the company has no separate supplier document, but does have general supply chain policy that also applies to procurement, then the answer is usually nuanced: not "no", but also not "yes" without explanation. In the chain file this should stand as a separate answer, distinct from the broader human rights policy, with a reference to the document itself if it exists.

Where this comes from: supply chain reporting under the CSRD

Directive (EU) 2022/2464 (CSRD) requires large undertakings to report on their value chain, including the way in which they translate policies and requirements to suppliers. Questionnaires that clients send to their sub-contractors often derive this type of question from that obligation: the reporting undertaking must provide insight into how it manages its chain, and a supplier code of conduct is a recognisable piece of evidence thereof. For the entrepreneur filling in the questionnaire, it is practically relevant whether this is linked to a question about a grievance mechanism for employees and supply chain partners: both are often part of the same section in the client's portal, and are then also assessed as interrelated by those who draw up the list.