The BMW Group has been involved with the VDA Working Group on Sustainability in the Supply Chain for many years. This supports the development of standardised methods and procedures to allow SMEs to meet their due diligence obligations in full as well – although we are fully aware that SMEs have less influence over their supply chains. Over the last few years, we have collaborated with other manufacturers, suppliers and associations and been a key contributor to the development of a standardised online assessment procedure for evaluating the sustainability performance of companies within the automotive supply chain.
The assessment is implemented in the VDA’s non-profit spin-off Responsible Supply Chain Initiative RSCI e.V. It was piloted in 2022 and has been an integral part our due diligence programme around working conditions ever since. The BMW Group supports a just transition, offering technical support for SMEs via the standardised procedures we co-developed and initiated. These include the Drive Sustainability Online Assessment and the RSCI’s Online Assessment programme, both of which are recommended to member companies. The BMW Group is also working within the VDA on further procedures and measures focusing primarily on SMEs.