Supply management

Method and tool used to find the required information
The SE Purchasers' Compass system is based on questionnaires (see table below) which are sent out to existing suppliers including each of their production sites. The database is situated on a web platform within the company internal network. To be able to work, the user needs authority, a computer connected to the internal network and correct browser settings.

Table 1. Principles of selection

Send out of a questionnaire
Before sending out a questionnaire the purchaser checks in the SE Purchasers' Compass database if the supplier in question has already been evaluated. If the supplier is not registered and/or evaluated the responsible purchaser sends out of a questionnaire through the system in accordance with table 1. 

Example: Questionnaire to “General suppliers” and “Manufacturing units”
The “Questionnaire for Environmental Assessment of General Suppliers”  is always sent out to the partner having an agreement with Stora Enso. The agreement partner is then responsible for sending out one or several questionnaires to its manufacturing units. The evaluation of the suppliers' environmental management performance is accordingly based on the answers from both the agreement partner and its manufacturing units. Examples of questionnaires for "General supplier" and "Manufacturing units" could be found here.

Input of data
It is the responsibility of the inquirer to see to that the questionnaire is returned correctly filled out and that the required data is fed into the SE Purchasers' Compass web database. The assessment is then made automatically according to an interpretation key. The result, i.e. the environmental management status of the supplier, will then be directly accessible to all Stora Enso units. It is also the responsibility of the one who has sent out the questionnaire to inform the supplier of the assessment result.

Continuous investigation
Based on the answer to the questionnaire the supplier is either approved or subjected to continuous investigation. A poor answer always leads to further investigation. Continuous investigation means everything from contacting the supplier on the phone to ask a question to representatives from Stora Enso visiting the site. If deviations still exist after the site visit, a decision is made about a no approval or rejection. In most cases, this is done by an environmental jury consisting of the environmental jurist of Stora Enso, a representative from the purchasing organization and Stora Enso Environment. It is also possible to consult the Senior Vice President of Stora Enso Purchasing or Stora Enso Transport and Distribution or as a last step the Chief Executive Officer of Stora Enso. The individual environmental management performance of the supplier is however taken into consideration in this process.

Updating of supplier information
It is the responsibility of the supplier to look for supplier information in SE Purchasers' Compass prior to the negotiation. After the negotiation the purchaser should comment upon the result of possible environmental commitments or other relevant environmental issues in the system. Supplier information older than two years should if necessary be updated, so that a new evaluation could be made.

Renewal of questionnaires and criterion of selection
Stora Enso Environment designs new questionnaires and updates existing ones in co-operation with representatives from Stora Enso Purchasing and Stora Enso Transport and Distribution against the background of viewpoints from the users as well as changing conditions in the surrounding world.

Experiences