Assessment

EVVA has so far evaluated suppliers according to the following sustainability criteria:

• Economic sustainability Assessment according to delivery performance (i.e. speed and punctuality), price and quality (e.g. whether and how often complaints about the delivered product occur). After all, suppliers who deliver on time and in top quality also influence the good reputation and profitability of EVVA and our sales partners. New suppliers must sign a quality agreement

• Social sustainability: As we are able to manufacture our products ourselves and strictly adhere to all laws, child or forced labour, violations of freedom of association, etc. No material topics in countries with their own EVVA locations (Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Italy, Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria). We generally commission suppliers who must comply with national laws. We also refer to our Code of Conduct, which explicitly includes compliance with human rights. When selecting suppliers, we also take into account their sustainability concepts and self-disclosure - more on this below 


• Ecological sustainability If EVVA commissions suppliers with the development of new machines or production systems, their clean production capability (i.e. without producing oil and water) is also analysed
   

Supply sources from other continents

• Only about 3% of our purchased parts come from Asia. In this case, we are not able to 100% exclude such a risk. However, EVVA is in regular contact with these suppliers. If EVVA becomes aware that a supplier - regardless of the country - has violated or is accused of violating environmental or social laws, this will be discussed immediately together. In the event of gross violations or lack of corrective measures, the supply relationship is to be terminated. However, this has not yet happened
   
• EVVA primarily requires brass for the production of its cylinders and keys – an alloy made of copper and zinc. Both materials are mined in China and South America, among other places. To address human rights issues and sustainable procurement, EVVA has investigated the exact origin of the copper and zinc it purchases. In consultation with our main supplier from Germany, through whom we handle the majority of our brass bar sales, the copper content comes from our own recycled brass chips (min. one third) as well as scrap and recycling trade (e.g. copper cables) in Germany. Approximately 90% of our brass already consists of recycled materials - and is expected to increase further (see target description under Circular economy overview). Our zinc is extracted from Poland in Europe. Our long-term partnerships and continuous communication within the supply network ensure the availability and quality of these secondary raw materials
   

Raise awareness of sustainability

Although some of our main suppliers are already implementing sustainability goals, the issue is generally only becoming more important in our industry and in the supply chain recently - certainly also due to the EU directives.

EVVA is taking further steps to increase sustainability awareness:

• Supplier self-assessment: The “EVVA Business Partner Check” is a questionnaire sent to selected suppliers for self-assessment. Selection criteria include, for example, their significant share in our value chain or suppliers of very important raw materials such as metals. The “EVVA Business Partner Check” covers important sustainability topics and contains around 70 questions on anti-corruption, occupational safety, human rights, etc. 
   
• A low interest of our suppliers in sustainability issues does not lead to a termination of the business relationship - unless there are known violations/convictions against corresponding laws and nothing has been done about it. However, if EVVA is faced with a choice between several equivalent suppliers (e.g. for new product components), then the existence of a sustainability concept decides on the award of the contract
   

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  We inform the top 100 suppliers about our sustainability report and initiatives - as well as our trading partners via regular newsletters. EVVA employees have been informed about the company’s sustainable activities for many years via intranet news and their own sustainability section in the employee magazine (print and digital)
   
• Enquiries and exchange with main suppliers (e.g. for brass) about their emissions in Scope 1 to 3 in order to take these into account in our own CO₂ analyses
   
• With its many clean production machines (see photo), EVVA regularly offers company tours at the headquarters, also for suppliers, specifically on the topic of sustainability