share: Transparent and sustainable supply chains

The Challenge at share

share is the impact brand with a bold mission: to make the world a fairer place through consumption. Sounds contradictory? Consumption and fairness? Not at share: every purchase has a social impact.

The idea is simple – the things you buy to live, you automatically share with someone who truly needs them. Whether it’s a bar of soap, a bottle of water, or a snack, every share product helps another person. Because consumption helps – when it’s social.

The approach of creating large-scale social impact through the sale of high-quality products and integrating doing good into daily life has been well received. Share products are now available at over 12,000 retail locations, including REWE, dm, IKEA, Deutsche Bahn, and Lufthansa.

Sustainability is deeply rooted in the company – social and environmental sustainability go hand in hand. The topic is already integrated into product development. The next step for share is to take a more holistic approach to sustainability in the supply chain and establish efficient structures for a growing number of suppliers.

One thing is clear for share: this is only possible through full supply chain transparency and close collaboration with suppliers – which requires a digital platform solution.

The Solution

As part of the implementation of the VERSO Supply Chain Hub, share onboarded all suppliers in the food, beverage, and hygiene categories. Once registered, suppliers were invited to complete the Sustainability Maturity Assessment (SMA).

The SMA module within the VERSO Supply Chain Hub enables a rapid initial assessment across all key sustainability areas in the supply chain: Company Management, Climate Practices, Social Practices, and Sourcing Practices – based on supplier self-assessments. Each supplier receives a strengths-and-weaknesses profile and can benchmark their performance against industry peers.

“The simplicity of the process convinced us. The tool is easy to use – for both our suppliers and for us. Registration and completion of the questionnaire were quick and straightforward. The strategic and technical support from VERSO was also extremely helpful,” says Kristin Sebastian, Director of Product Development, Quality Management, and Product Information Management at share.

The Result

Thanks to the straightforward implementation and VERSO’s support, share achieved high response rates: within just two months, 92% of the invited suppliers had registered and 82% had completed the SMA.

“The SMA results provide a very helpful foundation for supplier discussions. They strengthen our relationships built on trust. And when working with new suppliers, we quickly gain an overview of their sustainability status,” explains Thomas Hoberg, Head of Procurement at share.

One example: as a customer, it’s highly relevant to know whether suppliers have already implemented sustainability standards in their own supply chains – and whether they actively monitor compliance.

share now plans to roll out the VERSO Supply Chain Hub to all suppliers and make the SMA a standard part of onboarding for new suppliers.

“We were especially convinced by the iterative approach of the VERSO Supply Chain Platform. The SMA gives us a clear overview of a supplier’s current sustainability management status. It also helps us better understand risks and implement targeted next steps,” says Kristin Sebastian.

What’s next? Transparency remains a top priority for share – including beyond its direct suppliers. “When it comes to raw materials that are particularly sensitive in terms of human rights due diligence, we want to know where they come from and how human rights compliance is ensured,” explains Kristin Sebastian. Suppliers whose products contain such raw materials are now being asked to disclose their sub-suppliers via the platform. This will allow share to trace product supply chains step by step and assess associated risks.