hello and welcome to Unilever's supplier qualification system i want to share with you our program and the importance to Unilever of working with like-minded suppliers. The way we operate is embodied in our responsible sourcing policy which is based on 12 fundamental principles. Our policy is for all our suppliers aligning with and incorporating the fundamental principles into operations is not an event but a journey. The policy has a continuous improvement ladder that provides guidelines and tips for three performance levels. Mandatory requirements good and best practices the first stage is to accept acknowledge and implement the mandatory requirements the mandatory level is a requirement to establish or maintain a business relationship with Unilever progression up the ladder to good practice and achieving best practice and the subsequent cascading of the same principles throughout your supply chain will require a commitment to the vision of social responsibility. Unilever has a zero tolerance approach to bribery and corruption so our requirements are extremely strict. We are subject to some of the toughest laws in the world and our suppliers must also respect these requirements in order to do business with us. Through Unilever supplier qualification system we are developing improved ways of screening our suppliers to make sure we only work with those that are committed to the same high standards as we are this is not just about protecting our company legally it's about making sure that we only work with business partners who also believe that it's possible to do good business and generate growth while fighting corruption and upholding human rights. Along with our policy we use an integrated risk analysis model as an important qualifier for quality and responsible sourcing compliance responsible sourcing uses information from third-party risk assessment agencies to assess social ethical environmental business and labor risks within countries Unilever considers factors such as country of operation and products or services supplied in considering risk suppliers who are in a higher risk group will require a desktop or on-site audit depending on the products or services supplied to Unilever. For quality, risk is based on the raw materials products and services you provide to Unilever. We look at microbiological consumer health and safety legal and product risk based on your operation Unilever may require either a self-assessment questionnaire or valid audit to be provided as confirmation that your process is both controlled and repeatable. For both responsible sourcing and quality we recognise industry audit standards and work with leading audit companies to help drive consistent results our process is based on a desire to provide quality products work with good business partners and have a positive social impact the Unilever supplier qualification system is designed to support those requirements what does you sqs mean for Unilever it means being able to manage the risk in our supply chain through one platform identify approved suppliers for the products and services we buy understand the potential risks of buying products or services in all geographies what does USQS mean for you registering in the system and completing all specified requirements will enable you to qualify to work with Unilever or if you are a current supplier to continue to do business with us identify gaps and issues in your own processes to drive appropriate corrective actions help you to qualify for other responsible sourcing and quality programs for Unilever social accountability goes beyond the basics of assessment and auditing it is an aligned agreement to transparency to remedy shortcomings and to drive continuous improvement under the fundamental principles it is a commitment to conduct business in our operations with integrity openness and respect the way we ensure that our responsible sourcing policy RSP is rigorously and fairly implemented with all our suppliers is by checking the status in our Unilever supplier qualification system you ask us every time we create new vendors or initiate new purchase orders PO in our procurement systems if you are a new supplier you will be automatically asked to register in USQS and you will be given 90 days within which to complete the registration and initiate the other requirements of our program if you are an existing supplier from an RSP point of view we will be able to source from you as long as you are meeting the USQS requirements we will continue to be committed to work together with our suppliers to remediate non-conformance --is and provide the support needed to improve your human rights and sustainability practices and allow us to generate new purchase orders however if for some reason you cannot meet our requirements we may cease to issue purchase orders until all identified issues have been addressed we want to do business in a manner that provides quality goods and services respects human and labor rights improves the lives of workers their communities and the environment across our supply chain and is consistent with our Unilever purpose to make sustainable living commonplace we want to thank you in advance for your participation in USQS and for working together with us to ensure compliance with the 12 fundamental principles of the RSP if you have questions or require further information please contact your procurement relationship manager