Ethical Supply Management

SHARING VALUES — EXTENDING OUR MISSION

Two men dressed in business casual have a conversation in a laboratory while looking at a tablet.

Our suppliers are critical to our Mission. They enable us to create and deliver products and services that improve the lives of millions of people every year. It is important to us that the companies in our supply chain share our values — including our focus on quality, responsible business ethics practices, and corporate sustainability. Together we can make a lasting, positive difference to patients and to the communities and environment in which we operate.

Working together with more than 48,000 suppliers across 135 countries, we help uphold human rights, environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and product quality in several ways:

We provide a suite of protocols, tools, training, and support to help suppliers meet our stringent quality standards.
Our Supplier Diversity Policy recognises ten diverse supplier types, including small businesses and those owned by women, minorities, disabled, LGBTQ+ individuals, and veterans.
Our Global Supplier Standards describe the minimum social, ethical, and environmental requirements and expectations of our suppliers. We incorporate these standards into supplier selection and management processes, supplier agreements, and purchase order terms and conditions.

RESPONSIBLE SUPPLY MANAGEMENT HIGHLIGHTS FROM FISCAL YEAR 2018

The diverse experience and skills from our global supply chain partners enabled us to create and maintain an innovative product pipeline, as well as contribute to our reputation for world-class quality. In FY18:

We spent more than US$11.6 billion with our suppliers globally.
We directed about 30% of our U.S. supplier spend to small and diverse companies.

We also delivered our most comprehensive responsible supply management trainings to date:

Ninety-nine percent of Sourcing and Supply Chain Management teams in the United States completed our Supplier Diversity eLearning training.
Nearly 800 employees in procurement and sourcing roles received specialist training on labor and human rights issues.

In FY18, Medtronic was recognised for maintaining a timely, responsible, and diverse supply chain:

We were again named in the Gartner Healthcare Supply Chain Top 25, which acknowledges those companies that provide patients with timely, high-quality, affordable healthcare.
Medtronic received the Cvent Connect Conference Savvy Sourcing award, which recognises outstanding achievement in sourcing.
Medtronic was honored as one of America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs) by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council for supporting WBEs in our supply chain and for our commitment to enabling growth and reducing barriers for women-owned businesses.
Medtronic received the 2018 Corporate Partner of the Year Award from the Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC) for demonstrating an unwavering dedication to the WBDC, whose supplier diversity program advances our local WBEs.

Read a summary of our 2019 corporate citizenship progress
The Power of Purpose — Working Responsibly