Vendors and suppliers are expected to comply with all applicable laws and regulations in the conduct of their business with Lowe’s, and their products must meet regulatory and industry standards. Lowe’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics prohibits conflicts of interest in our dealings with vendors and holds vendors to strict conduct expectations. With more than 750 factories producing products for Lowe’s, LGS ensures compliance with these standards with the help of operations in the United States, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mexico and India. LGS uses internal and third-party quality assurance teams to help validate that our vendor partners operate safe and ethical factory environments and produce safe, reliable, high-quality products.
As part of our sustainable and socially responsible sourcing strategy, LGS works with third-party audit companies and other experts to refine our social accountability and environmental audit program. Launched in 2011, the program incorporates best audit practices and provides an expanded evaluation of social performance and environmental compliance. Every factory is audited at least once a year.
In 2012, LGS performed more than 850 factory certifications and more than 600 random social compliance audits. In addition, more than 16,500 product and packaging tests were conducted at independent testing facilities, with many products pulled from production lines for testing during random production audits. LGS also inspects orders at facilities before approving them for shipping. In 2012, Lowe’s performed more than 10,000 pre-shipment inspections, evaluating nearly 1.5 million production items to ensure they meet performance requirements.
Driven to provide high-quality products produced by socially responsible vendors, Lowe’s will continue to review our sourcing policies to ensure we have the best practices in place.
Our Vision and Values
Ethics and Governance
Focusing on Safety