Supplier Agreement Code Of Conduct Overkill?

[ejeffrey]

I have seen one company where they had outsourced the process of becoming a supplier for that company to a compliance agency, because the paperwork was getting too much for the company itself. You had to provide certificates of no child labor, confirmation that you permit union activities, a detailed list of workplace incidents, detailed list of harassment complaints in the last ten years, safety material handling, description of your rat-out-a-colleague (whistleblower) system, etc.

The flip side of this is of course that companies use a mutli-level supply chain precisely to avoid responsibility for child labor, slavery, unsafe working conditions, illegal environmental practices, product safety, and so forth.  Outsourcing isn't just about saving money, it is also a way to take a bunch of problems you don't want to worry about and handing it over to someone who won't worry about them for you.

It would be nice if some of these things were solving actual problems, rather than just creating more paperwork, but sadly that does not appear to genuinely be the case.  A few companies may be trying to actually clean up problems in their supply chain, but it is trendy, and it is much easier to copy someone's paperwork than their actual work.

[ConKbot]

The obvious answer is to add a line item to the quote for handling compliance paperwork, billed at 2x the normal rate. 

[Bassman59]

That's not a weapon!
Here's a weapon!

My father is a retired butcher, and several of his knives are bigger and badder than that toy you're brandishing there, Dave. Nobody seems to worry about a butcher walking through a store with what looks like a machete, but if you thought about it for a moment, he's the one guy with whom you do not want to fuck.

[SeanB]

Yes, cheap Chinese steel that will not hold an edge well. will go blunt pretty fast. Looks nice, but not going to cut like a proper knife with a proper edge.

[SirNick]

Seeing that reminded me a little of Final Fantasy VII.

[zapta]

Seeing that reminded me a little of Final Fantasy VII.

Or this

[Stonent]

Seeing that reminded me a little of Final Fantasy VII.

Or this

I see you've played Knifey-Spooney before!

[lewis]

I see you've played Knifey-Spooney before!

Beat me to it!

[allikat]

These guys have dealt with cheapskates across the world before.

Notice how it says that you must have a similar policy in place, but doesn't say anything about upholding or enforcing that policy...
That's how they can deal with ... certain countries that don't actually uphold that sort of thing...