The power of peer-to-peer: one year of the Sedex Community

This week marks the first anniversary of the Sedex Community, where we bring together members of all industries, countries and sizes. What has our Community discovered in its first 12 months?

In 2021 we launched the Sedex Community programme. Developed with our members, the Community helps organisations share challenges, insights and solutions around responsible business practices, and learn from each other.

Our first year saw the Community reach over 11,000 members from 79 countries, across six continents. We’re excited to see this grow in the next 12 months!

The value for Community participants

• Learning from other businesses in their industry or country about responsible business challenges and solutions.
• Discussing ideas and sharing best practice in quarterly focus sessions on topics such as gender data, SMETA, and success stories of what’s worked in practice.
• Hearing directly from businesses elsewhere in the supply chain – what their challenges are, and what mutually beneficial solutions might look like.
• Opportunities to ask questions and give direct feedback on Sedex tools and services.
• Influencing Sedex’s product development, and joining early engagement groups to test new solutions.

Sedex member Wismettac says:

Thank you for a fascinating session. The speakers were interesting and knowledgeable, and I certainly appreciated the message that ‘what gets measured gets managed’ – it is so important to be data-driven!

What’s next for the Sedex Community

We’re looking forward to building out our Community even more, realising the full potential of a global engaged network. Coming up in the rest of 2022:

• Holding our first Sedex Community in-person events, in Europe and in the USA, to build deeper connections within our Community.
• More targeted events designed for businesses in specific industries, regions, or supply chain tiers.
• More practical, capacity-building sessions, including on using Sedex tools.

Sedex survey response:

89% of Community participants find the programme valuable, or extremely valuable, to them and their organisations

Key insights from Community sessions

• Sedex members welcome the chance to join in-depth discussions with each other and Sedex experts – on specific issues, such as gender, and on specific tasks such as conducting risk assessments.
• Members are keen to discuss relevant legislation with each other and Sedex experts – what’s coming up, the requirements for companies, and how to balance these requirements alongside other business activities.
• Some businesses can be reluctant to speak up in front of others with different types of responsible sourcing programmes. Suppliers would welcome more events that are designed just for them.
• Our members have a real appetite for hearing from each other and creating connections with those they might not otherwise interact with – such as people operating in completely different industries, regions, or parts of the supply chain.

Sedex member British Sugar says:

I really enjoy these sessions! I find them informative, and they allow me to hear what others in my role think – which is invaluable.

If you’d like to learn more about the Sedex Community, we’d love to hear from you!

Sedex members can contact their Relationship Manager or Member Services to learn more.

Not yet a member? Talk to us about joining our Community.