Southwest Cares: Doing the Right Thing
Our Suppliers
orking with our Suppliers is an important part of managing the overall waste cycle. Every day, office products such as printer cartridges and toners can quickly accumulate and negatively impact our environment. At Southwest, we work with our Suppliers to purchase recycled toners and cartridges and then return them for further recycling, thus extending their use and eliminating them from the waste cycle. We are devoted to finding Suppliers who meet our levels of Customer Service, our high standards of efficiency, and help us achieve our commitment to Supplier Diversity.
The Mission of the Purchasing DepartmentWhile adhering to the Company Mission Statement, we are committed to maintaining Southwest Airlines’ low-cost Leadership through effective and efficient procurement, fuel management, facilities construction, and project management practices—ensuring that we spend our valuable capital wisely.
We support disadvantaged, small, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses when they can meet our quality and cost objectives. We have an active Supplier Diversity Program at Southwest Airlines.
All suppliers are treated fairly and impartially during the evaluation and selection process. We use more than one selection process, depending on Company requirements and supply market conditions. Each selection process, however, is focused on the most efficient way to achieve the same result—the best value combination of quality, reliability, and service for Southwest Airlines at the lowest total cost.
It is important that everyone involved in the procurement process: the Purchasing Department, our Internal Customers, and our suppliers and potential suppliers, all have a common understanding of the way procurement happens at Southwest Airlines. This understanding helps ensure that our goal of maintaining low-cost Leadership and high Customer Service is maintained.
Small and Diverse BusinessesTo qualify as Diverse, a business must be at least 51 percent owned, controlled, and actively operated by one or more members of the following groups: ethnic minority, women, veteran, disabled persons, or gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgenter. To qualify as a Certified Small Business, a business must meet criteria set forth by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
- Wynne has determined that their CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) vehicles are more efficient than their gasoline powered vehicles, and these CNG vehicles help reduce unwanted particulates outside and inside of the vehicle.
- Wynne uses clean burning Motor Coach Industries Buses to transport Employees for training classes and special events. Wynne has recently increased its fleet of these clean burning buses and plans to purchase additional buses by the end of 2009.
- Wynne MotorCoaches is helping set the motorcoach industry’s standards and protocols for a permanent “Green Certification” program through participation in an 18-month research project with the University of Vermont.
Southwest supports:
- Women Business Enterprise (WBE)
- Veteran Business Enterprise (VBE)
- Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Business Enterprise (GLBT)
- Small Business (SB)
- Minority Business Enterprise (MBE)
Our Procurement EthicsSouthwest Airlines expects all internal and external participants in the procurement process to observe the highest standards of ethical conduct. We expect business to be conducted in accordance with the Southwest Airlines Code of Ethics and with our Company Procurement Ethics. Efficiency means effective use of resources (energy, people, and materials), and we strive to be as productive as possible while minimizing waste and protecting the Earth. This attitude is a part of Southwest’s DNA and, as such, we are the world’s most efficient airline. Southwest has instituted a Green Procurement Survey that allows us to obtain information from our key suppliers on their environmental initiatives and current performance. This survey has enabled us to better understand how our suppliers perform and provides a mechanism to share Environmental Best Practices.
ConclusionAt Southwest, we strive to be as efficient as possible, treat others the way we want to be treated, and do the right thing. Our 2008 Southwest Cares Report: Doing the Right Thing is the second of our annual efforts to report our Environmental progress and our first report to illustrate how we participate in our communities, treat our People, and source our suppliers. We hope this more comprehensive report provided insight into our Culture and the ways that Culture translates into how we work to preserve the world in which we live, make a difference in the communities we serve, maintain a stable and thriving environment for our Employees, and hold our Suppliers to the low cost and ethical standards of Southwest. For more information, visit southwest.com/cares or email Green@wnco.com.
