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Operating with respect and integrity

Our global supply chain leans into responsible sourcing centered around the environment, people’s fundamental rights, ethics due diligence standards, and supplier risk management.

Protecting human rights in our supply chains

Consistent with our company mission, we drive requirements and standards in the Microsoft Supplier Code of Conduct (SCoC). Our commitments are outlined in Microsoft’s Human Rights Statement and Supply Chain Human Rights Statement.

Explore our approach to human rights View the Supplier Code of Conduct

Establishing responsible business standards

We establish compliance standards with global laws, share best practices, and collaborate with internal and external partners. Oversight responsibility for environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility is assigned to the Environmental, Social, and Public Policy Committee of the Board, which works with management to review our supply chain integrity policies, programs, and performance.

Learn about corporate governance

Driving our accountability strategy

We embed accountability across our global supply chains from innovation in product design to the end of product lifecycle, using technology to extend and scale our work. Supply chain transparency and traceability are key pillars of this strategy.

Learn how we approach accountability

Our teams Our initiatives Our engagements

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Our teams

To fulfill our commitments and meet legal and stakeholder expectations, our supply chain teams are responsible for maintaining and supporting supply chain due diligence management systems and requirements. Maintaining integrity and compliance in Microsoft’s supply chain is a cross-company effort and integrates the expertise of our legal, finance, trade, sustainability, communications, and corporate social responsibility teams.

Devices

Maintaining relationships with hundreds of suppliers around the globe to improve activities, processes, products, and services associated with manufacturing, packaging, and supply chain.

Capacity, Supply Chain, and Provisioning

Maintaining relationships with suppliers manufacturing hardware components and equipment that go into the data center servers supporting Microsoft’s global cloud infrastructure.

Cloud Operations and Innovation

Maintaining relationships with suppliers supporting our datacenter land acquisitions, construction, and operations.

Procurement

Maintaining relationships with suppliers providing goods and services to Microsoft business units and corporate operations, including those suppliers that operate Microsoft’s owned buildings and transportation fleet.

Learn about Microsoft Procurement View the Microsoft SCoC Explore our Supplier Diversity Program

Maintaining relationships with suppliers supporting LinkedIn goods and services.

View LinkedIn’s Provider Code of Conduct

GitHub

Maintaining relationships with suppliers supporting GitHub goods and services.

Read GitHub’s Statement against Modern Slavery and Child Labor

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Our initiatives

Our complex, multi-tier network of suppliers is managed by a robust, risk-based approach.

Our framework

Microsoft adopted a Supply Chain Human Rights Policy Statement to communicate human rights risk management measures relevant to our corporate, business, and subsidiary supply chains. This policy statement requires a risk management system in alignment with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct, and is applicable to Microsoft’s direct and supply chains.

Supply Chain Human Rights Policy Statement Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct

Our supplier expectations

Supplier expectations are defined in Microsoft’s SCoC and the Code of Conduct for Doing Business with LinkedIn. Directly contracted suppliers are contractually bound to meet these requirements and are required to cascade Microsoft’s human rights supply chain expectations to their supply chains through their own direct contracts with sub-tier suppliers. Every year, we review risk trends, new legal and stakeholder requirements and expectations, and work to update Microsoft policies, procedures, and supplier requirements.

Microsoft Supplier Code of Conduct Code of Conduct for Doing Business with LinkedIn

Our commitment

Microsoft is committed to the responsible sourcing of raw minerals used in our hardware products. We will continue to advance implementation of our RSRM policy in our supply chain related to conflict minerals (including tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold) along with other priority materials.

Our supply chain policy

The RSRM policy extends our Supplier Code of Conduct to the furthest reaches of our supply chain in support of human rights, labor, health and safety, environmental protection, and business ethics. This policy covers all minerals and materials used in our devices and packaging globally.

The basis of our programs

RSRM-related programs are based on the five steps of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas (OECD Guidance) and the UN (United Nations) Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Our scope of influence

The Microsoft scope of influence is strongest with direct suppliers; for less direct tiers of our supply chain, we leverage global standards and partner with broader multi-stakeholder initiatives to gain more visibility, higher influence, and increased accountability.

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Our engagements

We engage with industry-specific organizations to improve social, environmental, and ethical responsibility practices in global supply chains.

Responsible Business Alliance

Microsoft is a founding member of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), a coalition of companies driving sustainable value for workers, the environment, and business throughout the global supply chain. The group collaborates to improve working and environmental conditions through leading standards and practices.

Explore RBA

Responsible Minerals Initiative

The Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), an initiative of the RBA, is a respected resource for companies addressing issues related to the responsible sourcing of minerals in their supply chains.

Explore RMI

The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA)

IRMA offers third-party verification and certification against a comprehensive standard for all mined materials that provides coverage of the full range of issues related to the impacts of industrial-scale mines.

Explore the IRMA

Global Battery Alliance

Microsoft is a member of the GBA, and as a member collaborates on key initiatives related to ensuring a sustainable and responsible battery value chain, through the formation of Action Partnerships.

Explore Global Battery Alliance

The Alliance for Responsible Mining

The Alliance for Responsible Mining offers an innovative online tool that provides information about the progress of the mining organizations in their ESG (environmental, social, and governance) practices, according to the Code for the mitigation of Risks in Artisanal and small-scale mining, Forming Transparent and legal chains (CRAFT) code, the Fairmined Standard, and the Forest Smart Mining standard.

Explore the alliance

OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises

The OECD is an intergovernmental organization with thirty-eight member countries, founded in 1961, to stimulate economic progress and world trade. The OECD’s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (OECD MNE Guidelines) and Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct (OECD Due Diligence Guidelines) are used by Microsoft as key principles as we develop our industry leading programs.

Explore the OECD MNE Guidelines Explore the OECD Due Diligence Guidelines

United Nations (UN)

The UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) outline steps for States to foster business respect for human rights. They provide a blueprint for companies to respect human rights and offer benchmarks for stakeholders to assess business’ respect for human rights and form the basis of our programs.

Explore the Guiding Principles Read about our work