Supplier Responsibility Expectations

3M values supplier partnerships where our core values align with empowering ethical growth, inspiring integrity through collaboration and compliance, as well as stewardship of our people, planet and practices. We encourage all suppliers to have a proactive approach in aligning with 3M's policies and programs to strengthen our supply chains and ensure conformance to regulations. By working together, we can achieve business success and uphold our strong, positive reputations.

It is the responsibility of 3M Suppliers to stay current on applicable laws.

The 3M Contract Provisions page contains information on supplier requirements such as:
- Responsible Minerals
- Counterfeit Goods
- Transparency in Supply Chains and Modern Slavery Disclosures
- Pulp and Paper Sourcing & Legal Harvesting Laws
- Rigid Plastic Packaging Container (RPPC)
- RoHS Specification
- U.S. Government Contract Flow Downs
- Product Regulatory Requirements
- Supplier Responsibility Code
- Trade Compliance Requirements

3M Business Partners / Online Compliance Courses

Supplier Responsibility Code

Background: The 3M “Supply Chain Policies” were first established in 2006 to document our expectations for suppliers’ environmental, health, safety, labor and transportation performance. The Supplier Responsibility Code is the “next generation” of our expectations for supplier responsible practices.

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Why this, why now? Over the past decade, expectations for corporations to apply responsible sourcing practices to their supplier network have been expanding in scope and detail. Our foundational requirements for our suppliers must mature to meet these expectations. In addition, 3M became a signatory to the UN Global Compact in early 2014, and this updated set of expectations for our suppliers aligns with the UN Global Compact 10 principles.

How was this new version developed? A cross-functional team benchmarked the supplier requirements from many peer companies (multi-national manufacturers of diverse products). We also consulted guidance from organizations like the OECD and the UN, and recent case studies from consulting firms and not-for-profit sustainability organizations. Most significantly, we used as a basis for this draft the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), formerly known as the Electronics Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) Code of Conduct, tailoring it to include important aspects of 3M’s existing Supply Chain Policies. The RBA Code is a well-established, comprehensive Code that was initially created for the electronics industry, and is increasingly being emulated in other industries.

What does it cover? This 3M Supplier Responsibility Code consists of 5 main sections, with some of the more significant updates to our original Policies noted below:
- Labor – includes more specific requirements and controls for the elimination of forced labor, and more details on appropriate working hours and time off.
- Health & Safety – includes specific requirements for emergency exits, fire protection, and worker housing (when provided).
- Environment – includes expectations on reducing environmental impacts, and protecting air, water, and land resources.
- Ethics – this is a new section, mirroring 3M’s Code of Conduct positions on anti-bribery, conflicts of interest, protection of intellectual property, and related Business Conduct issues.
- Management Systems – another new section, requiring strong policies and systems to control the aspects in the previous sections, and propagate the requirements up the supply chain.
How will we implement? New and renegotiated supply contracts and PO terms will reference the new code. Existing contracts will not be re-negotiated solely for this change. Our supplier assessment program is being updated to match the Code expectations.

The 3M Supplier Responsibility Code is available in a number of different languages as provided on the 3M Supplier Responsibility Code page. This Supplier Responsibility Code Assessment introductory presentation (PDF, 1.2 MB) can be accessed and/or shared with suppliers to help them better understand 3M’s environmental and social compliance expectations.

Supplier Sustainability Solutions:

3M would like our raw material and packaging selections to promote a “Circular Economy.” In a circular economy, companies strive to keep materials “in play” as long as possible (e.g. use recycled materials, develop durable/recyclable products, create novel end-of-use solutions, etc.) and to utilize regenerative/renewable materials. The information provided in this request form will reside in an internal, 3M global repository, hosted in the U.S. and made available to Sourcing personnel, developers and other team members within the company looking to identify circular economy alternatives.

Please access the Sustainability Solutions request to provide your company’s information.

If you have questions, please send an email to Responsible Sourcing @ mmm.com (copy and paste into your email and remove the spaces).