{"id":7622,"date":"2026-08-27T09:31:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T09:31:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foamitgroup.fi\/?post_type=news&p=7622"},"modified":"2026-08-27T09:34:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T09:34:05","slug":"from-supplier-to-partner-sustainable-procurement-at-foamit","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/foamitgroup.fi\/en\/news\/from-supplier-to-partner-sustainable-procurement-at-foamit\/","title":{"rendered":"From supplier to partner: sustainable procurement at Foamit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What does sustainable procurement actually mean in practice? At Foamit, it starts with the criteria used to select a supplier, continues as transparency across the whole supply chain, and shows above all in long-term partnerships. Supplier auditing is one visible part of this whole. It is an important moment \u2014 when more sustainable choices are verified and developed together with the supplier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two different kinds of procurement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Foamit’s procurement is divided into two very different worlds. In direct procurement, meaning raw materials, there is little room for choice. The main raw material is waste glass, and in practice all available recycled glass in Forssa, Finland, is taken in. The fines needed to manufacture foam glass are sourced from a handful of partners as availability allows. In other direct purchases, such as silicon carbide (SiC) and glass fibre matting, price and availability are decisive \u2014 supplies come from both near and far, and one clear area for improvement is to buy more locally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indirect procurement covers energy, logistics (sea freight and land transport), maintenance, repair and operations (MRO), and other services such as banking and insurance. In services in particular, a local, familiar provider is often used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What sustainable procurement is made of<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Beyond audits, procurement at Foamit rests on several elements. The foundation is ensuring legal obligations are met: the information required under the Act on the Contractor’s Obligations and Liability is checked from a register \u2014 in Finland, the Reliable Partner service by Vastuu Group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A second cornerstone is the ethical guidance for suppliers, the Supplier Code of Conduct, which all key suppliers sign. The document was updated in 2026 and now includes a broader set of requirements that better match the criteria of the EcoVadis assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third element, and one especially important to Foamit, is long-term partnerships. Sustainable procurement is not about one-off purchases but about relationships that last and develop over the years. Foamit systematically employs small businesses in the surrounding area \u2014 for example, the cleaning of office premises is handled in Finland by the locally-based company Forssan Ilona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustainability shows already at the selection stage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When choosing a supplier, price, availability and service are weighed. In indirect services the choice often falls on a local, familiar supplier, whereas in raw materials there are fewer options available in the first place. At the selection stage, sustainability shows most concretely in cutting transport distances \u2014 the aim is to source as close to home as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supply chain transparency is an area we are still developing. For glass, the partners are familiar and the cooperation long-standing, but there is still work to do in the traceability of the origin of materials and the whole chain \u2014 and especially in communicating about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shared practices across countries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There is not yet a single common procurement model across Foamit’s three operating countries, but there are shared elements. Joint purchasing is done for fines and silicon carbide, for instance, and the clearest shared tools are the Supplier Code of Conduct and the Supplier Audit Checklist. Both were updated in 2026 to meet the criteria of the EcoVadis assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EcoVadis has in fact been a good starting point for many shared practices. One of the assessment’s four modules is Sustainable Procurement, and many of Foamit’s procurement practices originated there and were later rolled out across the whole group. There is still some way to go in harmonisation \u2014 it is an area being developed further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The audit leaves the supplier a tool<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a supplier audit, a thorough written report is prepared and areas for development are discussed openly. Suppliers have often been grateful for a good report, which serves as a ready-made to-do list for developing their own operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow-up audits are generally not carried out; instead, the areas for development are left to the supplier’s own discretion. There are exceptions: in one case a follow-up audit was conducted, because the findings directly affected the quality of Foamit’s own product and it was important to make the corrections quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At its best, sustainability work arises from mutual benefit. A good example is the audit carried out in 2026 at Rakennusbetoni- ja Elementti Oy in Hollola. The company was not only audited; at the same time, knowledge and expertise on the EcoVadis system were shared, which the company has been planning to join. Rakennusbetoni in turn audited Foamit, and so the cooperation benefited both. The companies are, after all, each other’s customers and suppliers: Foamit supplies Rakennusbetoni with foam glass as a raw material, and Rakennusbetoni manufactures roof tiles for Foamit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How procurement is measured<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The success of procurement is tracked through concrete targets. For the coverage of the signed Code of Conduct, the target set for 2025 was 90 per cent of suppliers, and it was achieved. The next step is 98 per cent by 2028. Three audits are carried out per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the EcoVadis Sustainable Procurement module, Foamit’s score is 71\/100 \u2014 the lowest score of the four modules and thus the area with the most room for improvement. It also points to the direction: procurement at Foamit is work that is still in progress and is being developed further together with suppliers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Audit visit to Rakennusbetoni- ja Elementti Oy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foamit audited Finnish company Rakennusbetoni- ja Elementti Oy in June 2026 as part of its supplier evaluation and development process. The aim was to assess the company’s ways of working, quality management and environmental responsibility, and to confirm that its operations meet Foamit’s requirements and the goals set for the partnership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The audit involved reviewing the company’s documentation and processes and interviewing key personnel. Particular attention was paid to the production process, health and safety practices, ethical conduct and environmental matters. The company’s ability to keep improving and to meet the expectations of customers and stakeholders was also assessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The audit was not a one-way street. Foamit also shared its knowledge of the EcoVadis assessment, which Rakennusbetoni- ja Elementti Oy has been planning to join, and the company audited Foamit in return. This kind of give-and-take is a good example of how a supplier audit becomes genuine joint development \u2014 to the benefit of both sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo: Emily Lainpelto, HSEQ Manager Foamit Finland, visiting supplier in June.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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