Responsible Procurement at UCB
Our ambition
We recognize that we have the moral responsibility and social obligation to make decisions that guarantee both human and environmental health. We have a key role to play to ensure a sustainable future for all.
We aim to procure goods and services that generate benefits not only for UCB, but also for the patients who need our solutions, the communities where we operate, society and the planet.
To bring this ambition to life, we engage with our suppliers and integrate requirements, specifications and criteria that are compatible with our Health of the Planet Strategy / our environmental sustainability program and our commitments to human rights, ethical behaviors and diversity and inclusion.
Suppliers code of conduct
We seek to ensure that our suppliers’ conduct is in line with UCB’s values and is consistent with our own commitment to promote responsible business practices.
We have outlined our expectations and standards in our Responsible Sourcing Standards for Business Partners. These standards, closely aligned with the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative (PSCI) Principles for Responsible Supply Chain Management, are classified in 7 categories:
We aim for all our suppliers to adhere to them or adopt their own codes of conduct including the outlined expectations. You can find the document below:
Find the code of conduct in your language
If you have any concerns about possible violations or non-compliance with these Standards, please do not hesitate to contact our UCB Integrity line. The UCB Integrity line is available for any individual, including workers in our value chain.
Global Trade Compliance
UCB prioritizes strict adherence to international trade laws, including customs and export control regulations. We ensure compliance with all relevant export laws and extraterritorial controls, addressing any non-compliance with established procedural controls. Our business partners are expected to follow all laws related to dual-use goods, anti-boycotting, sanctions, and embargoes, and must secure necessary export licenses for transactions with embargoed countries or sanctioned entities.
Our commitment to the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi)
We continue to make significant internal changes and adjusting our processes to further reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with our validated targets by the SBTi and our larger environmental sustainability program. These targets also include our suppliers: our objective is that by 2025, 60% of the GHG emissions created by our suppliers will be covered by science-based targets.
To achieve this, UCB is engaging with its suppliers, encouraging them to reduce their own GHG emissions following the guidelines of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and set ambitious climate targets. For this purpose, UCB has developed an internal methodology to measure the ‘Carbon Maturity’ of a supplier (i.e., where are they in their journey towards net-zero).
The Supplier Carbon Maturity Level influences our decision-making, business development and guides our supplier engagement. For example, only a supplier with a Level A or Level B can be a preferred vendor.
As part of our ongoing efforts to drive a positive environmental impact, we are introducing a non-financial recognition program for our valuable partners.
Our suppliers play a key role in UCB achieving its own environmental targets, concretely, the reduction of Scope 3 GHG emissions and compliance with our EcoVadis program.
Through this initiative, UCB aims to recognize suppliers that demonstrate ambitious climate targets in line with science and integrate sustainability practices in their own operations.
We are recognizing suppliers in two categories:
- “Sustainability Partner” to acknowledge the effort of suppliers committing to the Science Based Target initiative and achieving an EcoVadis score above 55/100 on all themes.
- “Best Sustainability Improvement” to acknowledge the effort of suppliers meeting the above milestones in a short period of time.
Supplier ESG Assessment through EcoVadis
We have partnered with EcoVadis to integrate a supplier assessment on environmental, societal and governance (ESG) practices/aspects. We also support suppliers building up their own sustainability capabilities and provide guidance on how they can improve.
We aim for the suppliers in scope of this ESG assessment to reach a minimum score of 45/100 on each theme covered by EcoVadis: environment, human & labor rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. The EcoVadis score (or other accepted ESG rating obtained by a supplier) is used by UCB when evaluating a potential supplier and for risk management purposes.
As a UCB supplier, you can register on EcoVadis and share your scorecard through our dedicated page:
Supplier Diversity
We seek to build a diverse supply base that enriches the core competencies and competitive edge of the products and services we source. Particularly in the US, we aim to have 20% of UCB’s spend be with diverse suppliers.
UCB is a member of several associations promoting supplier diversity (such as Helix Diversity Alliance for Science and the Minority Business Council).
If you are a third-party or self-certified diverse company and would like to contribute to our commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion [link], please submit your company profile to potentially start a collaboration with UCB.
Our Partnerships
Transitioning to a net-zero carbon economy, creating an equitable and inclusive society, and generally achieving sustainable growth is a challenge that requires action from all. Having in mind the strength of collective action, UCB is part of peer groups dedicated to advance sustainability in the pharma sector value chain.
Through these initiatives, UCB seeks to leverage the collective influence and expertise of peers. UCB aims to build supplier sustainability capacity by collaborating efficiently with peers, share best practices, and maximize its reach.
In 2022, UCB joined the Energize Program, a first-of-its-kind collaboration of 19 pharma companies aimed at increasing the adoption of renewable electricity in the pharmaceutical supply chain, read more.
In 2024, UCB joined the Activate Program by Manufacture 2030. Through this program, we will support our API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients) suppliers to develop their own decarbonization roadmap, as well as greener products to offer to the biopharmaceutical sector.
