G1 – Governance
ESRS G1-2 – Management of relationships with suppliers
Policies
Designing sustainable supplier relationships is a crucial part of Interzero's corporate strategy and risk management. The company works with around 9,000 external service providers and suppliers in Germany alone, as well as almost 2,500 suppliers across its companies in the EU. Consistently embedding sustainability along the entire value chain is therefore a complex challenge that Interzero addresses systematically. Incorporating environmental and social criteria into the supplier selection process is not just important from an ethical perspective, but also contributes to the long-term stability of the company.
Interzero develops appropriate policies to:
… Identify and assess supplier risks:
Risks arising from dependency on suppliers, geopolitical factors, natural disasters or logistical disruption must be regularly evaluated.
A risk management strategy should define measures to avoid or mitigate these risks.
… Integrate sustainability criteria into the supplier selection process:
Interzero ensures that suppliers act sustainably not just economically, but also in relation to environmental and social standards.
This involves considering criteria such as carbon emissions, resource consumption, waste management, working conditions and human rights.
… Encourage long-term partnerships with suppliers:
Long-term supplier relationships based on trust enable the company to pursue shared sustainability targets and manage risks more effectively.
Collaborating as equals can promote innovation and result in the implementation of sustainable production processes.
Actions
In 2024, Interzero set up an internal team to implement the requirements of the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG), integrating implementation into its existing compliance and risk management system via the Compliance Officer. The tools developed and revised as part of these efforts make the social and environmental standards of suppliers visible. They include the Supplier Code of Conduct developed by Interzero, the Interzero policy statement on respecting human rights and environmental due diligence obligations, and regular risk analysis for the supply chain.
These documents are part of contract negotiations and audits, especially for suppliers who provide customers with indirect services in relation to waste management or logistics orders. In addition to complying with laws and upholding labour rights, the suppliers also commit to observing fundamental environmental and sustainability standards. Since 2014, suppliers have also been required to answer a sustainability questionnaire, whose results are considered during the contract award process.
Interzero uses a service portal (DLP) to coordinate quality management at supplier level. This portal includes all relevant information on volume statistics and orders (transport orders). Interzero contracts only companies that are certified in accordance with the requirements of the Ordinance on Waste Management Companies (EfBV).
