ZTE integrates sustainable development requirements into supply chain management and requires suppliers, including subsuppliers, to follow the same requirements, including:
Management System, Policy, and Mechanism
The company's COO acts as the Global Process Owner (GPO) of the company's procurement management. The general managers of the Procurement Dept. and the Engineering Outsourcing Dept. take charge of supplier management (including supplier CSR management) and the implementation of sustainable procurement strategies.
To build a win-win ecosystem, we have established a comprehensive "Full Lifecycle Supplier CSR Governance System", covering such fields as labor rights, health and safety, environmental protection, business ethics, control of harmful substances in products, requirements for carbon peaking and neutrality, information security, and conflict mineral management. Through the digital and intelligent platform, CSR management requirements and actions are embedded into each key point of the supplier's end-to-end business processes, so that CSR management can be integrated in business activities and continuous improvements can be made.
Supplier Approval and Risk Assessment
ZTE has developed the Supplier CSR Risk Assessment Form to analyze environmental and social risks during the supplier introduction phase. Risk assessment includes relevant CSR certification, labor agreement signing, and identification of environmental violations and penalties. Based on the assessment results, different levels of controls are conducted on suppliers. Suppliers who pass the assessment will then be required to:
Supplier Audit and Supervision
For suppliers in partnership with the company, ZTE conducts onsite CSR audits in three forms:
In supplier evaluation and audits, to ensure effective CSR management of subsuppliers, ZTE reviews the suppliers' management of the subsuppliers' CSR performance (such as procurement policies, signing of CSR agreements, and whether the subsuppliers are evaluated and audited).
Supplier Appraisals and Incentives
ZTE has formulated the Regulations on the Management of Material Supplier Performance Appraisal. In accordance with the regulations, the company conducts monthly performance appraisals on suppliers. The appraisal results are used for supplier grading, bidding and procurement, and as a reference for selecting outstanding suppliers.
For outstanding suppliers, the company will commend their performance and give priority to long-term collaboration and strategic partnerships with them. For suppliers whose performance are consistently poor, ZTE will conduct an internal review to determine whether to suspend collaboration or cancel their qualifications based on the review results.
Social responsibility is included in the item E (sustainable development) of performance appraisal of suppliers, accounting for 5% of the total appraisal scores. The winners of the company's "Best Overall Performance Award" and "Global Best Partner Award" in 2023 were selected based on the evaluation results of suppliers.
Supplier Communication and Complaint
During audits on suppliers, the company conducts surveys or interviews with the suppliers' employees to learn more about suppliers' CSR performance and their employees' awareness of CSR. In addition, ZTE has established the following channels to receive complaints about supplier CSR performance. Any organization or individual who finds any suspected CSR violations by our suppliers can report them to ZTE through the channels, and we will respond to, investigate, verify, and handle the cases in a timely manner. During the handling process, whistleblowers' information is kept strictly confidential in accordance with the Regulations on Protection and Rewarding of Real-Name Whistleblowers.