Socially Responsible Supplier Development. Practices of Automotive Industry

Abstract A socially responsible company should take responsibility for its impact but also take care of the impact throughout its supply chain. Its perspective must be wider than only its own practices. Supplier development process can be used to spread socially and environmentally responsible practices across the supply chain. The aim of the paper is to identify and classify the socially responsible activities practised by the car producers and dedicated to their suppliers. In the paper sustainability reports of seven automakers were analysed. The authors used the technique of content analysis. The socially responsible practices dedicated to suppliers was classified into three dimensions and four categories. All of the automakers disclose information in their sustainability reports on socially responsible practices focused on their suppliers. However, the practices differ in terms of dimension and the area of CSR applied.