Launched in 2014 by Drive Sustainability and its Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), the Sustainability Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) was created to assess the sustainability performance of automotive suppliers. It has evolved to become a global standard to promote sustainability throughout the automotive supply chain. Throughout 2025 and 2026, the SAQ is undergoing important changes.
SAQ Introduces Modularity for a more tailored risk-assessment
In early 2025, Drive Sustainability marked an important step forward by introducing modularity to the SAQ. Modularity adapts SAQ’s minimum requirements to consider a supplier’s size and sector, this improvement ensures evaluations are more equitable, relevant, and practical.
Stefan Crets, Executive Director at CSR Europe, and Drive Sustainability, comments: “We’re keen for the automotive industry to promote sustainable practices across a wider range of tier 1 suppliers. By introducing modularity to the SAQ, buyers have the tools to achieve this at scale and strengthen the SAQ as the global sustainability standard.”.
With various sustainability supply chain legislations coming into force in the next years, this step in the SAQ’s evolution will help align with regulatory expectations. These regulations require buyers to evaluate sustainability risks across supplier categories, extending beyond traditional manufacturing suppliers to include SMEs and non-production suppliers.
SAQ 5.0 undergoes revision – preparing for SAQ 6.0
Launched in 2022, the SAQ 5.0 covers social and environmental sustainability, health and safety, business ethics and compliance, supplier management, and responsible sourcing of raw materials. It based on the Drive Sustainability Guiding Principles and international guidelines such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights or the OECD guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
In line with its schedule of regular development and updates, throughout 2025 the SAQ has been undergoing a content revision to align to the latest sustainability standards in the industry, for instance, the due diligence requirements of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). OEMs will continue this work throughout the rest of 2025 and first half of 2026, also revising modularity and the SAQ scoring methodology where needed. During this update process, Drive Sustainability will maintain its consultation with Drive+, the automotive platform representing Tier-1 suppliers and supplier associations, who regularly contribute feedback on SAQ enhancements.
> For more information please contact Catalina Fernandez Silva at cs@csreurope.org
