Coinciding with the first anniversary of the signing of the ten point retail code of conduct, the architects of the document, Australian Logistics Council (ALC), said the supply chain must engage with the retail code of conduct.
A year ago, the ALC brought together major retailers and transport companies to sign the Retail Logistics Supply Chain Code of Conduct.
The code establishes a clear set of principles for freight logistics, involving the retailer, supplier, carrier and logistics provider, allowing the industry to respond in a coordinated way to help all involved across the retail supply chain operate under a national set of retail logistics supply chain industry standards.
The initial signatories — Woolworths, Coles, Metcash, Toll and Linfox — has now reached 22, with more applications currently seeking approval.
There are also three auditors now in place, including TruckSafe, Icomply and Australian Transport Compliance Centres.
The ALC’s Program Leader for T&L Industry Codes, Ian Ross, says the challenge now lies in implementing the guidelines and drawing more companies in to sign on to this industry code.
“It is important that all signatories and retail industry players get engaged in the code and show a genuine interest in participating in its ongoing development,” he says.
“Industry input is valued — the wider the field of information and experience, the more likely we will collectively get it right.
“Our ALC Retail Logistics Supply Chain Code of Conduct is now setting the standard for other sectors of the transport and logistics industry to follow, and this is evident in the response and enquiries fielded regularly by the ALC,” Ross said.
