• Accountability

    We expect integrity, responsible business practices and high ethical standards from our supply chain partners. Learn how we enforce these values, identify risks and drive change.

    • Industry collaboration to address common challenges

      The Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) is a non-profit organization with a common goal to use shared standards and tools to advance social, ethical, and environmental responsibility in the global electronics supply chain. As a member of RBA – alongside other leading electronics companies – we commit to the responsible business standards of the RBA Code of Conduct. This is part of Dell’s Code of Conduct and Supplier Principles. The RBA code is aligned with internationally recognized frameworks, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and ILO standards.

      We ask our suppliers to abide by the RBA Code of Conduct and our Supplier Principles as a condition of doing business with Dell.

    • Identifying risks

      Every year, Dell evaluates supplier risk and develops an annual audit plan for our supplier facilities. During our risk assessment process, we evaluate all direct material suppliers based on geographic location, business relationship, manufacturing processes, past SER performance, and public report.

      New suppliers undergo a risk assessment during the onboarding process. Based on their assigned risk level, suppliers must conduct an audit based on the RBA Code of Conduct. As a condition of doing business with Dell, these suppliers undergo the same audit and corrective action plan processes as existing Dell suppliers to maintain Dell’s commitment to social and environmental responsibility within the supply chain.

    • Reinforcing values: audits and corrective action plans

      Audit findings are going to happen – the key is making sure they don’t happen again.

      Suppliers are required to create a corrective action plan and root cause analysis to address findings identified during an audit or survey. We work with our suppliers to help them along the way.

      While our audits cover suppliers in multiple tiers of our supply chain, we have also started to assist our first-tier suppliers in monitoring the parts of their own supply chain that Dell does not already audit. Building capabilities for sub-tier SER management is a priority that we believe will strengthen the electronics industry as a whole.

    • Capability building

      We offer a variety of online and in-person training to help suppliers and their employees understand our standards for social and environmental responsibility, and in turn, drive meaningful change.

      We also provide access to the RBA’s e-learning Academy and offer mobile training for EHS issues. We host supplier orientations, webinars, networking sessions, and instructor-led trainings for both HR and EHS practitioners for our suppliers.

    • Accountability

      Dell’s Supply Chain Sustainability team works closely with procurement teams to monitor social and environmental performance. We incorporate discussions about social and environmental progress in suppliers’ quarterly business reviews to ensure their sustainability progress mirrors that of Dell Technologies.  Suppliers that fail to take appropriate actions to correct social and environmental audit findings may lose their business with Dell.

    • Transparency