Working with suppliers

It is ING’s policy to set clear expectations for our suppliers, conduct due diligence, and align our procurement practices with evolving sustainability standards and regulatory requirements. 

Know your supplier

Through our know your supplier (KYS) process we help ensure that we partner with suppliers who align with ING's standards for financial stability, ethical business conduct, social and environmental responsibility.  

As an initial step, we assess the potential financial, social, and environmental risks associated with each supplier. Depending on the nature of the engagement and the annual spend, different levels of due diligence may be required. As part of this process, suppliers may be asked to confirm their commitment to ING's environmental and social policies, including our principles relating to human rights, fair labour practices, environmental protection, anti-corruption, and the prevention of forced labour, child labour and modern slavery. Furthermore, these suppliers are also invited to review and acknowledge the ING Supplier Sustainability Code of Conduct, which outlines our expectations for conducting business in a responsible, ethical and sustainable manner.  

Suppliers that successfully complete the KYS process, achieve the KYS status ‘Qualified’ enabling them to be considered for business opportunities with ING. By completing the KYS process, we strengthen our ability to build trusted, sustainable supplier relationships while safeguarding ING's reputation and values.  

Sustainable procurement program

Through our sustainable procurement program, we aim to embed sustainability across our procurement processes by: 

• Integrating sustainability considerations into our sourcing decisions. In order to make better, more sustainable purchasing decisions, we incorporate specific questions on environmental topics, human rights, labour topics, etc. in our tenders.

• In-depth sustainability screening and monitoring of key suppliers.  
  • We partner with EcoVadis and other rating providers to monitor the social and environmental performance of our key suppliers. We engage in dialogue with suppliers, supporting them to improve their overall sustainability performance.
  • In addition, we aim to gain better insight into the actual decarbonisation journey of our major suppliers, assessing how they  contribute to ING’s own footprint programme.