Brussels, Belgium – February 10, 2025
The automotive industry, through Drive Sustainability and its leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), has advanced its sustainability agenda by introducing modularity to the Sustainability Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ). This addresses a long-standing bias towards large automotive manufacturing organisations in the SAQ and attempts to ensure the SAQ remains inclusive and relevant for all suppliers, regardless of size or sector.
Launched in 2014 through a unified effort by Drive Sustainability and its OEM partners, the SAQ was developed to advance sustainability practices throughout the automotive supply chain.
These OEMs — BMW Group, Daimler Truck, Ford, Geely, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Scania, Toyota, Volkswagen Group, Volvo Group, and Volvo Cars — established the SAQ as a global benchmark for supplier sustainability.
Over time, the SAQ has been continuously refined to address emerging challenges and deliver measurable improvements. However, recent findings have highlighted the need to make the SAQ more equitable for suppliers across all tiers.
The introduction of Modularity marks an important step in the SAQ’s capabilities. This enhancement tailors the assessment criteria based on the size, sector, and capabilities of each supplier, ensuring evaluations are fairer, relevant, and actionable.
SUPPLIERASSURANCE’s platform dynamically implements this intelligence, reducing the burden on SMEs and non-production suppliers by focusing only on questions relevant to their operations. This enables buyers to meet legislative requirements effectively while managing risk across their supply base.
With further supply chain legislation coming into force during 2025, the timing is ideal to evolve the SAQ and support buyers in meeting new compliance demands. These regulations require buyers to evaluate sustainability risks across all supplier groups, extending beyond traditional manufacturing suppliers to include SMEs and non-production suppliers.
Charles Morrison, CEO of SUPPLIERASSURANCE, comments: “With further pressure from legislation, it is critical to have an inclusive framework to screen risks and ensure accurate sustainability assessments across the supply chain, regardless of company size or sector. By introducing modularity, we are empowering suppliers to implement meaningful sustainability measures while supporting buyers in achieving compliance and advancing sustainability goals.”
Stefan Crets, Executive Director at CSR Europe, and Drive Sustainability adds: “We’re keen for the automotive industry to promote sustainable practices across a wider range of tier 1 suppliers. By introducing modularity to the SAQ, buyers have the tools to achieve this at scale and strengthen the SAQ as the global sustainability standard.”
– For further information about the Drive Sustainability SAQ, please visit our Compliance section.
For additional information, please contact:
Catalina Fernandez Silva
Senior Project Manager
Drive Sustainability
or
Vera Gaouad
Project Manager
Drive Sustainability
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