For global manufacturers today, efforts to eliminate corruption from supply chains aren’t going much better than the fight to curb labor abuses.

In our last episode, we examined the less-than-stellar record of apparel and footwear companies in ensuring factory workers’ rights. Now, a survey by EcoVadis reveals a similarly dismal report card for the battle against corruption, including bribery, fraud, conflicts of interest and money laundering. Based on an analysis of more than 20,000 companies between January, 2017 and June, 2018, the average business ethics score was just 42.2 out of 100. On this episode, we learn about the details of the report from Bettina Grabmayr, senior sustainability analyst with EcoVadis. She talks about where companies are falling short in their anticorruption programs — to the extent they even have them — and what they should be doing to correct the oversight. The penalties for malfeasance in the supply chain can be huge, and companies need to be taking vigorous action now to head them off. It’s all part of a carefully thought-out strategy for proper risk management. Hosted by Bob Bowman, managing editor of SupplyChainBrain.

Look for a new episode of the podcast, which can be downloaded or streamed, every Friday on the SupplyChainBrain website and iTunes.

Show notes:

The EcoVadis report, “The Fight Against Corruption: Insights Into Ethical Performance in Global Supply Chains.”