Siegwerk has successfully held its first Supplier Engagement Sessions under SustainUP, the company’s global sustainable procurement program. The company has been engaging with suppliers over the past few months to address critical human rights topics identified during workers’ voice activities. Siegwerk is reinforcing its commitment to responsible sourcing and long-term sustainability across its supply chain.

The Supplier Engagement Initiative is focused on India, one of Siegwerk’s most important sourcing markets. According to Siegwerk, it is the first of its kind in the inks and coatings industry. Siegwerk has designed the initiative to equip supplier teams with the knowledge, tools, and confidence needed to strengthen labor practices and elevate health and safety performance.

The training program was not designed as a compliance or checklist exercise. To the contrary, it offers collaborative support to learn more about: (1) Grievance Redressal Mechanism, (2) Fair Wages & Working Hours, and (3) Occupational Health & Safety.

Partner benefits

Siegwerk offers global webinars and an intensive workshop in Mumbai. Here, suppliers can gain a better understanding of regulatory requirements, sustainable business expectations, and best practices. Siegwerk also shared its own approach and challenges, fostering transparency and collaboration to help suppliers make informed decisions for the future. The Centre for Responsible Business (CRB), a New Delhi-based think tank, supported the initiative. It provides expert guidance and local insights to ensure meaningful engagement. CRB works with multi-stakeholders to enable businesses to integrate sustainability in their core operations.

The content focused on high-risk areas of the supply chain and has been designed for small and mid-sized suppliers, who often face resource constraints when it comes to meeting complex sustainability and human rights requirements.

The successful implementation of the first supplier engagement sessions represents an important milestone for the company’s global SustainUP program. Building on this achievement, Siegwerk plans to initiate further projects to strengthen its supply chain and mitigate environmental/social risks.

“We need our supplier to walk this path with us,” says Cathleen Hansohm, global supplier sustainability manager, Siegwerk. “SustainUP is about partnership, trust, and shared responsibility. By supporting our suppliers today, we are enabling a more resilient and sustainable supply chain for tomorrow.”

Launching SustainUP

Siegwerk launched its SustainUP program in mid-2025 to integrate sustainability more strongly into the company’s procurement processes. With SustainUP, Siegwerk grounds its efforts on the perspectives of workers. The goal is to help suppliers build practical capabilities and commit to roadmaps that improve outcomes for people and the environment.

“Regulations set the floor, but our ambition is impact,” adds Hansohm. “By embedding human rights due diligence, decarbonization efforts and environmental responsibility into supplier engagement, SustainUP helps us to turn regulatory expectations into measurable improvements and thus fueling change across our supply chain.”

All training materials and webinar recordings are now available on the newly created SustainUP website. Siegwerk is providing an ongoing resource for suppliers and procurement teams pursuing sustained improvements: SustainUP.