The Responsible Supply Chain Initiative (RSCI) e. V. has signed an extensive agreement. The initiative is now benefiting from the expertise of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) in social auditing and can thus further advance its vision of promoting more sustainable supply chains in the automotive industry. The non-profit organization RBA is the world's largest industry coalition dedicated to the corporate social responsibility of companies in global supply chains. The coalition has a code of conduct and offers a wide range of programs, training and assessment tools for companies.

"We look forward to future collaboration with the US Responsible Business Alliance (RBA). The RBA supports us with in-depth know-how and supports our vision of promoting sustainability in the supply chains of our member companies," says Andreas Rade, Managing Director of RSCI.

"The RBA is pleased to partner with the RSCI and support its automotive industry members on their journey to improve social, environmental and ethical conditions in their global supply chains," said Rob Lederer, CEO of the Responsible Business Alliance.

The RSCI was launched in October 2021 by the VDA with 14 other founding members, including automobile manufacturers such as Volkswagen, Mercedes, BMW and Ford as well as suppliers such as Brose, Kirchhoff, Bosch and Schaeffler, and now includes 18 member companies. The focus of the association's work is the review and further development of the sustainability of companies in their supply chains by means of on-site assessments and corresponding follow-up. With the program specially developed for this purpose, effort, costs and finally the results can be shared and, last but not least, multiple audits can be avoided. The program promotes supplier development and contributes to the further development and continuous improvement of sustainability. It also supports companies in implementing the requirements of customers, legislators and stakeholders and thus also contributes to the implementation of companies' human rights due diligence.

As of July 2022, the assessment program has gone live, allowing member companies and suppliers to direct and apply for RSCI assessments through the RSCI online platform managed by the RBA. The program is a risk management tool created specifically for the automotive industry. The aim is to create basic transparency about working conditions, for which purpose appropriate checks are carried out directly at the production site.

RSCI members:

AUDI AG
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW Group)
Brose Fahrzeugteile SE & Co. KG
CLEPA AISBL
Business Network for Corporate Responsibility AISBL
Dr. Ing. h.c. Porsche AG
Fondium Group GmbH
Ford-Werke GmbH
KIRCHHOFF Automotive GmbH
Magna International (Germany) GmbH
MAN Truck & Bus SE
Mercedes Benz Group AG
Robert Bosch GmbH
Schaeffler AG
Thyssenkrupp AG
Verband der Automobilindustrie (VDA) e.V.
Volkswagen AG
Yanfeng International Automotive Technology Europe S.a.r.l. & Co. KG

More information on the RSCI initiative can be found here.