Responsible sourcing

Our commitment to operate responsibly includes working to ensure that our 60,000-plus contractors, suppliers, and vendors understand and share that commitment.

In 2004, Microsoft joined forces with other leaders in our industry to create the Electronics Industry Citizenship Council and EICC Code of Conduct to promote a common set of standards to global suppliers producing electronics and information and communications technology. We've worked both within the EICC and with our own suppliers to improve working conditions and environmental performance in electronics factories around the world which affects the work experience of hundreds of thousands of workers. Our work extends beyond factory audits to projects that provide reproductive health information to women working in factories and projects to help workers and factory managers collaboratively address safety issues.

All companies doing business with Microsoft must agree to abide by our Vendor Code of Conduct, which sets out our expectations about ethical business practices, employment practices, and compliance with environmental and worker safety requirements. For some types of suppliers, such as those providing contract manufacturing of our Microsoft-branded hardware, we go beyond the Vendor Code of Conduct with additional requirements and an on-site audit program.

We conducted risk assessments of our vendors to screen for corruption risks and found we had a risk rate of about half the industry average.

We also work to promote positive environmental and social outcomes from our sourcing practices, ranging from increasing market demand for greener computers and local organic food to supporting diverse suppliers. Our responsible sourcing initiatives are supported by our Corporate Global Procurement Group, our Legal and Corporate Affairs Department, subject matter experts such as our Director of Supplier Diversity and in partnership with key parts of our company, such as our Interactive Entertainment Business which created Xbox and Kinect.