Fundamentals
Responsible sourcing is the operating system that combines standards, monitoring, remediation, worker voice, and commercial decisions.
Responsible sourcing is not a single policy. It is the set of expectations, controls, and decision loops that connect supplier governance to real conditions.
The model includes what is required, how evidence is collected, how issues are escalated, and how behavior changes over time.
Teams frequently mistake compliant documentation for meaningful change; this framework keeps execution and outcomes at center.
A systems view makes the relationship between procurement, compliance, and management easier to govern.
Confusing a supplier code with a full day-to-day approach.
Treating audits as the destination rather than one input in a control cycle.
Assuming stronger sourcing statements imply stronger supplier practice without evidence.
Sources
OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct
OECD · guidance
OECD's core guidance on how companies identify risk, prioritize, respond, track follow-up, and communicate what changed.
UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
OHCHR · framework
Used here for the baseline definition of human-rights due diligence, remedy, and grievance expectations.
Target Standards of Vendor Engagement
Target · vendor engagement
"We do not tolerate unauthorized subcontracting... All locations within the scope ... must be disclosed to Target before production begins... All locations must be approved." [Target SOVE, 2026] Suppliers must "maintain accurate records" and audits require access to "records, and ... worker and management interviews." [Target SOVE, 2026]
Walmart Responsible Sourcing
Walmart · program page
