In 2019, the INPACS head office has joined the UN Global Compact and thereby officially committed to making the Ten Principles publicly part of its business operations – this includes in particular that INPACS upholds the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining, eliminates all forms of forced, compulsory and child labour and works against the discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.

As the formal basis for this commitment, the INPACS Company Policy, the Code of Ethics and the Supplier Code of Conduct since many years stipulate the adherence to fair labour standards within the network according to the conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as well as to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Above that, each member is responsible for fair labour standards and compliance with labour law according to local conditions. INPACS is in this course not engaging for the implementation of German standards abroad, but for the creation of an international level playing field for sustainable management practices according to the above mentioned global regulation.

Furthermore, there is an intense employee involvement in the sustainability management as the different operational departments lead the respective projects with members, customers and suppliers directly - enabling a sustainability management implemented and practiced by all departments and employees. Accordingly, EcoVadis has attested INPACS again an advanced performance regarding labour and human rights practices. 

On group level, the newly adopted group-wide sustainability strategy (cf. criterion 1) calls on all members to strategically prioritize the „Protection of Labour Rights and Safe and Secure Working Environments within our Operations and along the Supply Chain“. As INPACS is uniting family-owned wholesalers worldwide, common measures affect operations in over 50 countries with over 8.000 employees. Also, INPACS takes on a great responsibility when making agreements with large international suppliers and manufacturers, worldwide. Therefore, the strategic aim is to tackle risks that derive from the responsibility for this international workforce as well as the increased risk of human and labour rights violations along the complex wholesale supply chains. The adopted measures target transparency and the identification of need for action, and include the consistent supervision of members’ and suppliers' compliance with our Ethical Codes. This is already put into action by an obligatory sustainability evaluation using EcoVadis. 

In 2019, the average EcoVadis Theme Score "Labour and Human Rights" of the evaluated INPACS members improved from 54 to 58 points compared to 2017/18.

In case of any uncertainty regarding conformity with the Ethical Codes, a personal inspection is conducted.