Responsible Sourcing

We pride ourselves on our reputation for acting fairly and ethically wherever we do business. Our reputation is built on our values as a company, the values of our colleagues and our collective commitment to acting with integrity throughout our organisation. Our Responsible Sourcing Policy demonstrates this commitment.

Standards for Suppliers V2 Consultation update

Following our previous communications, we would like to make you aware that our updated Standards for Suppliers are now available, and we have reviewed and worked to incorporate the feedback provided. With just under two weeks remaining in the consultation period, we have also created a “What a Good Job Looks Like” document and the responses to questions asked within the drop-in sessions (FAQs). We welcome any further feedback, questions, or comments you may have. The updated Standards for Suppliers and supporting documents are available here.

Our Standards for Suppliers have been updated to provide clearer direction, reflect evolving expectations, and support suppliers in delivering responsible and ethical practices across their operations and extended supply chains. The intention is to make the Standards more practical, focused, and aligned with current risks, industry developments, and stakeholder expectations to protect rights holders and communities around the operations of our business.

The document has been enhanced through engagement with our suppliers and key stakeholders. We undertook a 90-day consultation period, including three drop-in sessions where we outlined key changes and gathered valuable supplier feedback. These were well attended, with 300+ participants from all areas of our Goods For Resale and Goods Not For Resale suppliers. We have also engaged with key external Stakeholders on the document and how it reflects best practice and industry expectations.

Following these sessions, we would like to provide a summary of the outcomes, clarifications, or refinements we have made based on the feedback:

• Grievance Mechanisms: Provisions of clearer guidance that the Asda whistleblowing process only needs to be publicised where a supplier does not already have an effective grievance mechanism in place in line with expectations covered by UNGP 31. If a suitable mechanism exists, the Asda Ethics hotline only needs to be covered at onboarding and in annual refresher briefings to workers as a minimum and does not need to replace the supplier’s own process.
• Auditing Against Standards: To provide clearer expectations, the Standards for Suppliers themselves are not directly audited. Our Transparency and Supply Chain Monitoring Policy defines the scope of our Responsible Sourcing programme, and only in‑scope sites are audited against recognised ethical standards such as the ETI Base Code. While these ethical standards are reflected within the Standards for Suppliers, we do not audit directly against this document, as Asda does not set the assessment methodology. However, many of the topics within the Standards will still be reviewed through independent assessments such as a SMETA audit.
• Standards for Suppliers in Different Languages: The Standards for Suppliers have been adapted into eight key languages to support wider accessibility. Primary reference will remain with the original English version of the Standards and this should be treated as the official version.

We appreciate the time suppliers have taken to review this updated document and engage with us to ensure it is clear, practical and aligned with the standards we expect across our supply chain.

Standards for Suppliers

Our Standards for Suppliers are the corner stone of our Responsible Sourcing programme and are operated by Asda Stores Limited, including its subsidaries. The Supplier Standards apply to anyone supplying Asda with Goods For Resale (GFR) and Goods Not For Resale (GNFR including services).

Protecting the human rights of all who contribute to our business, from our employees to those in our supply chain is right thing to do and is essential to our future success. We look to partner with our suppliers to mitigate risks, drive remediation and improve standards for workers.

At Asda, it is vital our Suppliers know and understand the risks within their own operations and supply chains.

As a Supplier to Asda, you are expected to actively work to identify and understand the risks associated within your supply chain. This includes complying with these standards and any applicable laws, regulations and agreements whilst maintaining licenses and permits as required and appropriate for your industry, geography and facility.

Transparency & Supply Chain Monitoring Policy

Supplier transparency provides the foundations of Asda's Responsible Sourcing and Human Rights programmes. Transparency is the process by which suppliers provide Asda visibility to their in-scope operations and supply chains and the associated information required to inform risk. Our Transparency and Supply Chain Monitoring Policy allows us to assess supply chain risk, deploy resources to assist continuous improvement and monitor compliance to our Standards for Suppliers within our global supply chain. Our Transparency policy is only applicable to in scope locations however our Standards for Suppliers apply to all tiers of your supply chain and it is the supplier’s responsibility to ensure compliance throughout their supply chain. This policy represents the minimum transparency and due diligence standards that Asda expects for in-scope suppliers and sites.

All suppliers must read this policy and identify which elements of their own operations and supply chains fall in-scope of the policy requirements prior to providing any products or services to Asda. Asda is committed to using the data disclosed through this Transparency and Supply Chain Monitoring Policy to better understand risk, collaborate with suppliers and identify areas where improvements can be made for the benefit of workers.

All in-scope suppliers and sites are subject to due diligence requirements that are determined by completion of an ongoing risk assessment. Asda's risk assessment is informed by the SEDEX Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) and Radar tool, open-source country and sector data, reported labour and human rights incidents and academic research. Our due diligence requirements may include but are not limited to, social audits, strategy reviews, additional transparency and self-assessment questionnaire requirements for lower tiers of the supply chain, implementation of worker voice technology and submission of evidence of supplier-led human rights due diligence. Whilst social audits still have a place within our Responsible Sourcing and Human Rights programmes, we recognise the need to go beyond audit to identify root cause. 

Asda reserves the right to increase transparency and supply chain due diligence requirements for business areas, commodities or geographies subject to ongoing risk assessment and saliency work conducted in-line with our Human Rights Policy.

Frequently Asked Questions & Guidance