Sustainable procurement

We can't deliver our sustainability priorities on our own. We need to work in partnership with our suppliers to make sure they work according to the same standards and principles as us, and that they share our objective of delivering sustainable digital lifestyles too.

We describe our supply chain as the ‘engine room' for making sustainability happen. It's the process that makes our products and services, so it's the most powerful way to address our sustainability impacts.

We use many suppliers across the UK and across the globe, which generates lots of sustainability risks and opportunities. So it's important that we have a good visibility of what's happening across our supply chain. We can't know everything that's happening all of the time, but we do work with our immediate suppliers to clarify exactly what we expect and what needs to need to change.

We've outlined a set of sustainability principles in our Supplier Code of Conduct, and we expect our suppliers to follow it. It covers three areas:

• Human rights and labour conditions
• Environmental management
• Business ethics

We work with our suppliers to make sure they have the right policies and procedures in place to meet the expectations in our Code, and that they use these in dealing with their own suppliers.

Our Code defines the basic expectations that we have of all of our suppliers. It's also the starting point for the conversation we'll have with suppliers on sustainability issues.

We’ve used the Code to build a more focused and targeted approach to identify sustainability risks and opportunities in our supply chain.  We now have a number of key suppliers with whom we have annual meetings specifically around sustainability and any risks/opportunities.

When we're identifying risks, we'll put together some simple criteria that will help us get to the critical issues first. At the same time, we'll be working with those suppliers that can help us meet our wider sustainability targets, on issues like creating a more diverse workforce. This way, our collaboration with suppliers makes a big contribution to our overall goal to deliver sustainable digital lifestyles.

You can find out more about sustainability approach here.