Slides from Deborah Albers, Vice President, Responsible Business Alliance, presented at the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council’s 2019 Summit in Portland, OR.

1. SPLC Meeting
Deborah Albers
Vice President, Responsible Business Alliance
May 2019

2. The Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) is a
coalition of the world’s leading companies
working together to improve efficiency and
social, ethical, and environmental
responsibility in the global supply chain.
http://www.responsiblebusiness.org/
Who We Are
2

4. 366Members (RBA + Initiatives)
$7.7 trillion Members’ annual revenue
21.5 million Members’ direct employees
120+Countries in which members’ products are manufactured
The Reach of RBA and its Initiatives

5. Influences on Responsible Business Conduct
Customers and CSOs
Customers are showing increasing
pressure to demonstrate that the
products they buy are made in a
socially and environmentally
responsible way
CSOs are influencing buyers/customers
more directly
Shareholders
Mainstream investors are joining
Socially Responsible Investors in
requiring transparency across the
supply chain
Government
Regulations like the EU Directive on
Public Procurement are driving public
buyers to offer awards and penalties
for CSR performance

6. Traditional “Responsible” Business Conduct
• Compliance driven
• Reactive
• Often managed in isolation
• Ultimately ineffective at worker
and environmental protection

7. The Rise of Due Diligence
• Driven by the expectations of
relevant stakeholders
• Proactive
• Managed collaboratively
• Promise of higher effectiveness
for worker and environmental
protection

8. Driving Harmonization
Driving consistency in government
public procurement (GPP) to unite for
greater impact in the supply chain
Government
Processes
RBA
Membership
RBA
Tools
RBA
Harmonization to advance social
and environmental performance
through purchasing practices
Buyers
Harmonization of requirements
from governments and requests
from buyers and civil society.
Members

9. Impact Through Public Procurement Event
Brussels April 2019
Participants Included:
NGOs
Product Labels
Investors
Civil Society
RBA Board of Directors
RBA Members
Government/Buyer

10. Thank you