Operating with respect and integrity

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

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

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

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.

Maintaining relationships with suppliers supporting LinkedIn goods and services.

Maintaining relationships with suppliers supporting GitHub goods and services.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.