Commitments to our suppliers

The total amount of negotiable purchases around 16 billion euros illustrates the extent of the Procurement department's responsibility towards its suppliers. This responsibility opens up a further field of action for the Group to promote Sustainable Development. The Procurement department can also convey the strong values and professional Code of Ethics that the Group wants to promote in relationships with its suppliers.

1) Maintaining quality relationships

  • By adhering to a "Procurement" Code of Ethics - the Group Procurement and the Procurement local Entities staff sign (except for local exception) a Procurement Code of Ethics that is based on the following obligations: disclosure and confidentiality; fairness and competitive bidding; neutrality and objectivity; transparency and traceability.
  • By respecting the terms of payment.
  • By promoting ongoing dialog with our key suppliers.

2) A strategic priority: the integration of Sustainable Development criteria

In line with its firm belief that the long-term viability of its business and the quality of its suppliers' services also hinges on socially and environmentally responsible behavior, AXA encourages its commercial partners to develop within a two-way relationship founded on responsible behavior on a social and environmental level.

In this way, driven by its Sustainable Development strategy, AXA has defined the integration of social and environmental criteria into the choice of its suppliers as one of its strategic priorities, which must therefore be covered by a specific and coordinated policy and process, overseen worldwide by the Group Procurement department.

This commitment is particularly reflected in our selection process, factoring social and environmental criteria into invitations to tender, incorporating a contractual clause aimed at formalizing the supplier's ethical and environmental commitments, as well as defining the partnership with the supplier, notably accompanying their efforts to put in place a plan for improvements if relevant. Moreover, once suppliers have been selected, our relationships with them are governed by this clause as well as the Procurement Code of Ethics signed by all members of the Procurement teams.