The ZDHC Gateway supports Brands in connecting with their Vendor partners to access the performance data and introduce greater transparency to their supply chains.

Learn how Vendors can be invited to join the ZDHC Gateway, and once connected, how the connection can be managed by setting a Transparency Level.

This article also walks you through the Vendor to Zero reports available via the Data Hub, and how they can be generated once the connection is established, allowing Brands to assess the performance of their Vendors' supply chains.

Let's get started!

01/ Introduction

When Brands are sourcing indirectly, they are sourcing via what we call “Vendors” - intermediary companies such as buying agents, trading companies, importers, wholesale companies, but also converters, who operate on behalf of Brands, as well as licensees working with Brands.

The eligibility requirements to become a Signatory Friend of ZDHC - Vendor include: supplying at least one ZDHC Signatory Brand, running its own branded product lines with B2B focus ( >80% B2B business revenue e.g. as a licensee, sourcing partner etc.) and being a Supplier with supply chain management responsibility. 

To join the ZDHC Gateway, a Vendor must be invited by one of ZDHC Signatory Brands. Read more about the Vendor application process here. 

02/ How to manage your Vendor connections transparency

Once your Vendor partner joined the ZDHC Gateway, connect with them via the Connections functionality by following the steps outlined here. 

You can then request different supply chain transparency levels with each of your connected Vendor partners.  

To view which Transparency Level you have with a Vendor you are connected to:

1. Click CONNECTIONS on the left navigation panel.
2. Choose Vendor.
3. You can view transparency details in the My Connections tab under the Transparency Level and Status columns.

Note: after you establish a connection with a Vendor, you will have Transparency Level 1 by default. 

There are 3 possible Transparency Levels. You can read more about them here or by clicking next to the Transparency Level column. The number on the icon indicates which Transparency Level it corresponds to.

• If the icon under Transparency Level is green , it means the level is accepted. 
• If the icon is yellow , the level is pending Vendor's approval. 
• The red icon indicates that the Vendor declined your request for the corresponding level.
• The black icon  means there was no action taken yet on this level.

To request the next Transparency Level:

1. Click CONNECTIONS on the left navigation panel and select Vendor.
2. In the My Connections tab, find the Vendor you would like to request a new Transparency Level with.
3. Under the Transparency Level column click on the black icon corresponding to the level you wish to request.
4. In the pop-up window choose PROCEED. The corresponding icon is now yellow and pending Vendor's approval. Once approved, it will turn green.

To remove a granted Transparency level:

1. Click CONNECTIONS on the left navigation panel and select Vendor.
2. In the My Connections tab, find the Vendor you would like to remove a Transparency Level from. 
3. Under the Transparency Level column click on the green icon corresponding to the level you wish to remove.
4. In the pop-up window choose OK. The corresponding icon is now black. You have successfully removed a Transparency Level.

03/ How to access Vendor to Zero Reports on Data Hub

As soon as you connect to your Vendor partners on the ZDHC Gateway, you can access the Vendor to Zero reports via the Data Hub.

Follow the steps to generate the Vendor to Zero reports:

1. Click DATA HUB on the left navigation panel and select Vendor to Zero under the Certificates and Reports tab. The list of organisations will immediately reflect your connected Vendors.
2. Under Choose Date Range select between the following options:- Latest: the last month's report;- History: your preferred month(s);- Vendor Suppliers: a special report available only for Vendors you established Transparency Level 3 with. You may find more details about this report under section 04/ Reading Vendor to Zero reports of this article.
3. Under File Type select PDF or Excel.
4. In the organisation list select the Vendor(s) you would like to run the report(s) for. You may use the Search bar to find the right Vendor.
5. Click GENERATE to run the report.
6. At the top of the screen, you will see the message: "Your download is processing. You will be notified once your request has been generated and ready to download." Click the DOWNLOADS tab to find your Vendor to Zero reports. Until the report is ready, the Status will read Processing. You can REFRESH the page and once ready, the status will change to Success.
7. Click the button to download the report.

04/ Using Vendor to Zero reports

A/ The Vendor Management Summary Reports in PDF

The Vendor to Zero Management Summary report at Transparency Level 1 in PDF includes the following information:

- The Vendor details: name, ZDHC AID, contact, email address and address.

- Report Month: which month the reporting data corresponds to.

- Report Generated: a date and time when the report was generated on the ZDHC Gateway. 

- All Connections graph: the overall amount of Supplier connections and invites the Vendor has; the breakdown of already connected Suppliers, unanswered connection requests (sent by and to Vendor) and unanswered invitation requests (sent by Vendor to Suppliers). 

- Profiles: the amount and percentage of Vendor's connected Suppliers that filled out Industry Sector, Materials, Processes and Processes Specification in their profiles.

- Supplier to Zero graph: the breakdown of Vendor's Suppliers by their Supplier to Zero status (Unregistered, Registered, Foundational, Progressive, Aspirational).

- InCheck Solutions graph: the amount of Vendor's Suppliers that subscribed to InCheck Solutions, including the breakdown of how many have Verified InCheck Level 2 (not older than 12 months), Verified InCheck Level 1 (not older than 12 months), Performance InCheck (not older than 6 months), how many subscribed but didn't generate Performance InCheck and how many didn't subscribe to InCheck Solutions.

- ClearStream graph: the amount of Vendor's Suppliers who have had a ClearStream report in the last 12 months, inlcuding the breakdown of those who met requirements, didn't meet requirements without Corrective Action Plan (CAP), didn't meet requirements but have a CAP. Note: the value under Has not performed testing includes both those not subscribed to ClearStream at all and those who are subscribed but did not test in the last 12 months. 

An example Transparency Level 1 Vendor Management Summary Report in PDF:

The main difference between Transparency Level 1 and Transparency Level 2 or 3 Vendor Management Summary PDF reports is that the Supplier data in sections Profiles, Supplier to Zero, InCheck Solutions and ClearStream is Brand-specific for Transparency Level 2 or 3. This means that the Vendor marked this amount of Suppliers as Brand-specific to your Brand.

An example Transparency Level 2 Vendor Management Summary Report in PDF:

An example Transparency Level 3 Vendor Management Summary Report in PDF:

B/ The Vendor Management Summary Reports in Excel

The Vendor Management Summary report can also be generated in Excel format. It will include the following columns:

- Columns A-B: reporting year and month.

- Columns C-H: (your) Brand's details.

- Columns I-N: Vendor's details.

- Column O: Vendor Transparency Level.

- Columns P-S: Vendor's Supplier Connections breakdown.

- Column T: Number of Suppliers managed by the Vendor for this Brand. Note: only available at Transparency Level 2 or 3.

- Columns U-X: Breakdown of Vendor's connected Suppliers based on their profile being filled out. 

- Columns Y-AC: InCheck Solutions breakdown of Vendor's connected Suppliers. 

- Columns AD-AJ: ClearStream breakdown of Vendor's connected Suppliers. 

- Columns AK-AO: Supplier to Zero breakdown of Vendor's connected Suppliers. 

Important note: Columns U-AO vary per Transparency Level:

- Transparency Level 1 shows data from all Vendor's connected Suppliers,

- Transparency Level 2-3 shows Brand-specific data (calculated from Column T Suppliers only).

C/ The Vendor Suppliers Reports

The main difference between Transparency Level 2 and Transparency Level 3 is the availability of the Vendor Suppliers report exclusively for Transparency Level 3.

This report can be generated in PDF and Excel formats and includes the details of the connected Suppliers the Vendor assigned to your Brand, namely:

- Supplier Name and AID;

- Their Industry Sector and Processes;

- The dates of the last Performance InCheck, Verified InCheck Level 1 and Verified InCheck Level 2 reports the Supplier performed;

- The date of the last ClearStream report;

- Whether the RCA/CAP is available (if applicable);

- Their Supplier to Zero Status.