Manufacturers are always talking about developing transparency with their suppliers, but high-tech giant Hewlett Packard Co. has taken things up a notch. The company has publicly released a list of its largest suppliers, representing more than 95% of the company's procurement expenditures for materials, manufacturing and assembly of its products worldwide.
The release of the list, the first by a major technology company, promotes transparency and progress in raising standards in the IT industry supply chain. The increased visibility should result in positive operational changes in supplier labor, health and safety, environmental and ethics practices.
Including everyone from contract manufacturers and electronic manufacturing services providers to original design manufacturers and commodity suppliers, HP says it hopes that releasing the list of 97 key suppliers will encourage other companies to do more to advance supply chain responsibility.
"HP is sharing our list of top suppliers to enable collaboration, increase supplier accountability and build on our commitment to supply chain transparency," says Mark Hurd, HP chairman and CEO. "We work closely with our suppliers to promote improved social and environmental practices, and in the process, touch the lives of more than 400,000 workers around the world."
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