Sustainable Procurement
Thame Engineering Company Limited, trading as Thame Workholding, is a British manufacturer of precision workholding equipment and the exclusive UK agent for a number of specialist international workholding brands. Our supply chain includes UK and overseas manufacturers, raw-material and component suppliers, and a range of service partners.
We recognise that our purchasing decisions carry environmental, social and ethical impacts, and that responsible procurement is one of the most effective ways we can extend our values beyond our own site.
Our approach
We embed sustainability into the way we source and manage our supply chain, balancing four considerations:
- Value, not just price – we assess whole-life cost and quality, not lowest headline price alone.
- Environmental impact – we consider the carbon and environmental footprint of what we buy, and work with suppliers to improve our Scope 3 emissions data over time.
- Ethical and social standards – we take a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and expect our suppliers to provide safe, fair working conditions and to comply with all applicable laws.
- Product integrity – we guard against counterfeit, fraudulent and suspect parts through approved sourcing, certification and traceability — an essential requirement for the aerospace, defence and other regulated sectors we serve.
What we expect of our suppliers
We ask our suppliers to:
- comply with all applicable laws, including on employment, health and safety, the environment, anti-bribery and modern slavery;
- provide goods that are authentic, correctly specified, traceable and free from counterfeit or suspect parts;
- hold relevant quality certification (e.g. ISO 9001) where appropriate;
- treat their workers fairly and safely; and
- engage openly with reasonable requests for information and improvement.
These expectations are set out in detail in our Supplier Code of Conduct, which suppliers are asked to accept.
Our targets
- Obtain acceptance of our Supplier Code of Conduct from suppliers representing at least 80% of our annual procurement spend by August 2027.
- Maintain at least 90% of procurement spend with ISO 9001 (or equivalent) accredited suppliers.
Our governance
Our approved supplier list and supplier controls are maintained within our ISO 9001:2015 quality management system. Procurement is led by our Accounts and Quality Manager, and this strategy is reviewed at least annually.
This is a summary of our Sustainable Procurement Strategy (version 1.0, August 2026). A copy of the full strategy is available on request — please contact us for further details.
