RESPONSIBLE PROCUREMENT

We’re committed to building better relationships with our suppliers not only to mitigate risks but to also help identify opportunities. This includes better understanding the way we source our electronic components and network equipment and its subsequent distribution to our customers.

Our approach has 4 main stages:

    1. Requirements: Setting requirements for suppliers through our Liberty Global Procurement Responsible Supplier Code of Conduct 
    2. Alignment: Creating internal understanding through training our Procurement team
    3. Assessments: Assessing our suppliers as per LPS Supplier Assessment procedure that includes the use of the EcoVadis platform
    4. Dialogue: Opening up possibilities for suppliers improvement including corrective actions

    We expect our suppliers to read the following documents to get an understanding of the requirements Liberty Global has with regards to Responsible Procurement:

    We assess our suppliers by using EcoVadis 21 CSR Criteria. The criteria cover four material areas, Environment, Social, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. This constitutes the basis for the ESG (Environment Social Governance) performance of our suppliers. EcoVadis enables us to assess and benchmark our suppliers through a scorecard with actionable feedback and an online corrective action plan.

    Over the course of 2022, Liberty Procurement Services has been actively risk monitoring the top 80% spend of our supply base including all Strategic and Critical suppliers. 35% of those suppliers have been assessed through EcoVadis with an average score of 61. In the limited cases where a supplier scored below the threshold acceptable to Liberty Global, corresponding mitigation activities were taken. Our target for the end of 2023 is to onboard all of our top 80% spend suppliers on the EcoVadis platform and where that is not possible use an alternative method to assess them.

In 2023, Liberty Global joined the Joint Alliance for CSR (JAC), the international association of telecom operators dedicated to developing and assessing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) standards across the industry’s supply chain.

As a member of JAC, Liberty Global will collaborate alongside the world’s largest telco providers, conducting and sharing CSR audit reports of major Information and Communications Technology (ICT) suppliers. With the aim of promoting sustainable sourcing, JAC members share audit data, resources and best practices to verify, assess and develop sustainable sourcing principles for suppliers of the telco sector.

SAFEGUARDING HUMAN RIGHTS IN OUR LABOUR AND SUPPLY CHAIN

Safeguarding labour and human rights in our own operations and our supply chain, including the active prevention of occupational diseases or accidents as well as modern slavery is one of Liberty Global’s material issues. 

Our commitment to human rights is guided by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the international human rights principles encompassed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including those contained within the International Bill of Rights and the International Labor Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. 

In July 2022, Liberty Global revised our Human Rights Statement, expressing our commitment to respecting human rights. We will review these principles annually and continue to improve and update as needed.

CUSTOMER PRIVACY AND DATA SECURITY

As a provider of internet, telephone and television services, our customers’ digital lives are entrusted to us. So every decision we make comes with an obligation to keep personal data safe. We define data security as the measures that we take to protect the confidentiality and integrity of our customers’ data. It’s a priority for us because our customers trust us with their data and we work hard to maintain that trust.

PROTECTING CHILDREN ONLINE

We aim to make the digital world safe for everyone, especially our children, so we ensure our products and services offer parental control features that help parents keep children safe online. Our internet safety toolkits guide parents and teachers alike on how to empower young people of all ages to protect themselves as they explore the online world.

View our toolkits here.