SanMar Publishes Better Buying Scorecard

SanMar Corporation, a wholesale apparel and accessories supplier, becomes the first Better Buying subscriber to be fully transparent by making its Purchasing Practices Index scores publicly available.

The scores are based on anonymous feedback from SanMar’s suppliers, aggregated via Better Buying’s algorithm, analyzed for trends, and turned into actionable data-driven insights. According to the company, the feedback builds on improvement, helps create a more resilient supply chain, and forges stronger supplier partnerships.

SanMar first subscribed to Better Buying in 2019 and has now taken part in two consecutive rating cycles. The company’s Better Buying Scorecard outlines its overall score for 2021 in seven key purchasing practice categories. The results show how the company’s ratings from their suppliers have improved, stayed the same, or declined from previous years and how those ratings compare against industry benchmarks.

SanMar has also publicly shared its 2021 Company Report, which provides a detailed breakdown of how suppliers rated the company on specific purchasing practices and suggested priorities for improvement. The report also includes anonymized comments from suppliers detailing examples of best practices and suggestions about how the company might improve in each of the seven key purchasing categories.

“We have agreed to share our Better Buying 2021 Scorecard and Company Report because we believe transparency and leadership are essential to being a great partner to our global vendors,” says Pat Noonan, SanMar’s chief product officer. “We believe in strong, fair partnerships with our factories and want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to help our vendors succeed.”

Better Buying president/co-founder Dr. Marsha Dickson comments, “We’re delighted that SanMar has taken this step. Amid the growing global concern around purchasing practices, we have seen a number of our subscriber brands include Better Buying in their sustainability strategies and place purchasing practices at the heart of their business operations.”

“We particularly like the totally anonymous nature of Better Buying, as it makes sure there is no pressure on vendors to be anything other than completely open in their reviews of us,” continued Noonan. “By encouraging other subscribers to the platform, we think we can help drive meaningful change in the way apparel companies work with their vendors beyond just SanMar – moving the needle for the whole industry.”