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S U S TA I NAB I L I T Y R E PORT 2 0 1 2
Given that the demand for new prod-
ucts with longer lifecycle spans and re-
duced environmental impacts is steadi-
ly increasing, we invest in Research and
Development, looking for solutions
that will to satisfy the varying needs of
our clients and seeking to offer a com-
prehensive service with the lowest pos-
sible burden on the environment. In
this direction, our principal associ-
ates and suppliers can act as catalysts,
as they are an integral part of our ef-
forts. Therefore, the management of
local suppliers by the Group sub-
sidiaries is governed by specific rules
and also includes plans for future ini-
tiatives, as follows:
a) Depending on the scope and na-
ture of each specific purchase, lo-
cal suppliers are selected on the ba-
sis of their solvency, reliability in
terms of quality and punctuality in
terms of delivery, cost of products
or services, available capacity to en-
sure the quantities required, and
capability to meet the require-
ments of the particular purchase in
accordance with the specifications
set by the respective Group sub-
sidiary.
(b) Efforts are also being made to make
all our purchases from the Greek
market, where possible, as quite of-
ten projects have a requirement for
specialised suppliers from eco-
nomically developed countries, by
following selection principles and
procedures characterised by trans-
parency and meritocracy. Addi-
tionally, in many cases we provide
our supply chain participants with
the know-how and methods re-
quired to process the materials
which we need for our activities,
and we encourage investment ini-
tiatives involving more environ-
mental-friendly production process-
es.
(c) All the contracts signed with our
major subcontractors and suppliers
contain clauses regarding their
obligation to comply with the
laws, to ensure the safety and
protection of their personnel, to
pay all types of statutory or con-
tractual personnel wages and
salaries, and to take out and main-
tain in effect appropriate insurance
policies. They also contain clauses
on environmental compliance (in
accordance with the ISO 140001
International Standard) and on
the protection of human rights.
(d) Finally, as part of our efforts to pro-
mote CSR in our sphere of influ-
ence, we plan to also focus on
communicating and promoting
the principles of the UN Global
Compact to our principal associates
and suppliers. Our aim in doing so
is to obtain the commitment of our
suppliers to the Compact, a de-
velopment which will lead to mu-
tual benefits. In addition, we be-
lieve that our effort will elicit con-
siderable positive responses, main-
ly because of the large size of the
companies concerned and their
exposure to challenges in the ex-
ternal environment.
10.2 Management of Local Suppliers
