Sustainable Procurement Partnership: An industry-wide initiative and case studies of SMEs on responsible business conduct

This compilation of case studies was prepared as part of the “Building Responsible Value Chains in Asia through the Promotion of Decent Work in Business Operations (Phase II)” project, implemented by the ILO with support from the Government of Japan (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry).

In this effort, the Sustainable Procurement Partnership (SPP), led by the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA), an industry association for the digital industry, has been supported through the cooperation of the ILO and the Japan Federation of Labour and Social Security Attorney’s Associations. The electrical and electronics industry is supported by many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the SPP is an initiative to promote responsible business conduct throughout the supply chain. This initiative has created a way for SMEs to participate, drawing on their own experiences and learning, and has become a model for promoting responsible business conduct across the entire industry’s supply chain.

This collection of case studies provides examples of SMEs participating in the industry-led SPP initiative. We hope that the lessons learned on responsible business conduct will be widely shared, leading to further initiatives in the value chain, both domestically and internationally.