Managing and Monitoring
Understanding the supply chain
Within addition to our Global Sustainability Division, various departments, policies and procedures contribute to ensuring that our operations remain safe, ethical, and sustainable. Our production and sourcing teams regularly collaborate with the sustainability division to strengthen our understanding of the supply chain dynamics. Through this cross-functional engagement, our work closely with suppliers to enhance their sustainability performance and drive continuous improvement.
Managing our supply chain
ASICS manages its global supply chain through a structured, multi-step approach designed to uphold ethical and sustainable practices across all levels of influence. Our supply chain management program is built on the following key steps:
STEP1：Commitment
Develop global policy and guidelines / Communicate policies internally and externally through training and awareness
STEP2：Monitoring and Risk Management
Identify and assess human rights risks across business operations and supply chain / Conduct audit and implement corrective actions to uphold safe and ethical workplace standards.
STEP3：Training and Capacity Building
Provide supplier training and share best practices / Support the development of strong management systems and responsible sourcing capabilities.
STEP4：Reporting and Transparency
Publicly disclose progress through reports and our corporate websites / Report in accordance with laws such as the Modern Slavery Acts / Utilize industry standard tools and publish our supplier factory list for transparency.
Monitoring our supply chain
ASICS monitors both the social and environmental performance of suppliers to ensure compliance with our standards. We collaborate closely with factories, labor unions, and industry stakeholders to drive continuous improvement, focusing on two core pillars:
Training and capacity building
Reporting and transparency
Assessments & audits
At ASICS, we conduct rigorous pre-screening of all potential suppliers before any business engagement. Once a supplier is onboarded, we regularly evaluate our Tier 1 factories and key Tier 2 factories using a five-grade scale based on the ASICS Supplier CSR Standards. The ASICS Supplier CSR Standards are grounded in internationally recognized frameworks, including the International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions and set out requirements cover key areas such as forced labor, child labor, harassment, discrimination, freedom of association, wages and benefits, working hours, occupational health and safety, and environmental responsibilities.
In 2024, ASICS strengthened our assessment protocol and scoring methodology to provide more accurate and granular view of factory’s CSR management performance and risk level. After each audit, we collaborate with factories to develop and implement corrective action plans within a clear timeline. If a factory fails to demonstrate sufficient improvement, a formal warning may be issued and continued critical issues may ultimately lead to the termination of the business relationship.
Through our approach, it helps ensure that our supply chain aligns with ASICS’ values and commitment to ethical, responsible, transparent and sustainable manufacturing practices.
(Pre-screening prior to procurement)
Country risk assessments
We select countries and regions where our products can be manufactured, based on our assessment of human rights and sectoral risks in production countries or regions.
Supplier audits
We evaluate potential suppliers based on ASICS’ requirements before initiating any business relationship.
(Assessment after the procurement)
Third party audits
Accredited third-party monitors who are well-versed in local laws, regulations, culture and languages perform assessments using the SEDEX Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) methodology.
Patner audits
Since 2014, ILO Better Work has conducted annual assessment and improvement follow-ups at our partner factories.
Internal audits
ASICS Supply Chain CSR specialists conduct on-site evaluations, document reviews, and worker interviews to verify whether ASICS’ CSR Standards are met.
In ASICS, we also evaluate supplier performance regularly using a comprehensive and objective framework that considers business operations, product quality, sustainability practices, and other essential factors.
Find more details on the recent results of our sustainability efforts in our latest sustainability report.
Non-compliance issues
When our assessments identify non-compliance issues, we categorize them as major or minor, based on the severity of the violation and the level of risk to workers. Follow-up actions can include terminating the business relationship in the case of serious and persistent violations, reviews of future orders, third-party investigations, and formal warnings.
When minor non-compliances are identified, we begin a remediation period of three months. During this time, the supplier is expected to take corrective measures. When necessary, ASICS staff or partners support the remediation process, for example by providing training and resources.
Training and capacity building
We provide regular trainings to help our Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers become resilient and sustainable. In the training, suppliers can gain the knowledge and understanding necessary to implement new standards, legal requirements, and structured management systems. They also become more aware of industry best practice. We will continue capacity building sessions for our suppliers in our key sourcing countries, such as Vietnam and Indonesia.
Reporting and transparency
Continuously increasing transparency helps us understand the risks in our supply chain and helps suppliers build better working environments and increase productivity. The main platform we use to provide supply chain transparency is SAC’s Higg Index suite of tools. The connected modules enable full transparency of our activities throug- hout our value chain, from manufacturing to retail and beyond.