We base our procurement strategy on sustainable agriculture and food, to meet the nutritional needs of a growing population as natural resources become scarce and to leave a livable world for the next generation.
We encourage our approved suppliers to engage in international certification processes and we work to make sure hundreds of producers in the food industry improve their operations. We assess our food and packaging suppliers though audits and we encourage them to implement improvement actions to eliminate identified issues. The audits improve Ülker’s quality while reinforcing the global competitiveness of producers.
We created the Supply Chain Policy in line with our responsible supply approach. Our policy covers our entire social, environmental and ethical principles from practices to improving workplace health & safety and human rights to anti bribery and anti fraud guidelines.
Our policy, which covers subjects such as basic human rights, working conditions and environmental protection issues based on international agreements like the International Labor Organization (ILO), United Nations Global Compact, contains all of the sustainability practices with which we expect full compliance from our suppliers. We aim to spread our sustainability principles by which we guide our operations, throughout the entire supply chain.
In order to encourage increased sustainable work practices in our supply chain we support our suppliers in achieving international certification. We subject our suppliers, which we prioritize according to specific criteria, to inspections. In 2015 we added environmental internal audits, risk analyses and self inspection by suppliers to the evaluation questions used in the inspections. In 2016, 176 of our suppliers passed these inspections.
We audit the compliance of our suppliers to the criteria we have determined through regular inspections. We will also start supplier self-assessment and inspection applications including environmental management and workplace condition issues within the year.
Cocoa Supply
We also contribute to projects that support producers of cocoa, another important ingredient of our products. We aim to support the economic and social development of cocoa farmers by adopting sustainability principles when procuring cocoa as Turkey's biggest buyer.
We became a member of the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) in 2012 to participate in the effort of procuring cocoa, chocolate's raw material, from sustainable sources. As the first Turkish member of the WCF, we support sustainability practices in the cocoa industry, as well as the prosperity of cocoa farmers through efforts organized under the roof of the foundation.
Founded in 2000 and counting Yıldız Holding companies Godiva and United Biscuits among its members, the WCF cooperates with governments, universities, non-governmental organizations, and farmers in cocoa-producing countries. These joint efforts involve research that will increase quality and sustainability in cocoa production, as well as education programs for farmers and their families.
In addition to its WCF membership, Yıldız Holding is a sponsor of the Processor Alliance for Cocoa Traceability and Sustainability (PACTS) program. PACTS seeks to form an environmentally conscious and professional production chain and increase yields, and provides training and agronomy support for farmers and educates them on innovative production practices. Yıldız Holding's investment meets the potable water and solar energy demands of PACTS' fermentation and curing plants, making the work of teams there much easier.