THE ROLE OF THE CONCEPT OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN

Background: The aim of this article is to determine the importance of the concept of corporate social responsibility in building partnerships in the supply chain. In the recent period, one could notice that more and more international companies implementing their strategies based on the concept of sustainable development are evaluating and qualifying their suppliers basing on standards of ethics in business. Methods: This paper analyzed the requirements of the multinationals companies towards their suppliers in implementing elements of the concept of corporate social responsibility. Results: The results of the analyzes which were presented on practical examples show that buyers define to suppliers, very often detailed, standards for ethical conduct for suppliers (Supplier Conduct Principles, Principles and Standards of Ethical Supply Management Conduct) and guides for their implementation (Supply Chain CSR Deployment guidebook, Purchasing Way, Supplier Sustainability program Manual), organizing programs (Supply Chain Social Responsibility programs), implementing the Supplier Responsibility projects and developing a checklist (Supply Chain CSR Checklist) for self-evaluation of providers. Conclusions: When observing global trends one could notice that recently more and more suppliers are evaluated in terms of the fulfillment of the principles of sustainable development, guided by the economic aspects (requiring high technical quality, reliability of supply, competitive price, stable financial position, compliance with legal requirements), environmental aspects, as well as social aspects (principles based on the idea of the Global Compact). One could also perceive that many international companies signing contracts with suppliers require them to sign a declaration, obligating them to introduce the concept of corporate social responsibility by applying the principles contained in Statement on Business Practices and in compliance with the requirements of environmental requirements (Supplier Social & Environmental Responsibility Agreement).