Vodafone to Look at Suppliers' Diversity, Environment Policies in Awarding Work

By Adria Calatayud

Vodafone Group PLC said Wednesday that it will take into account suppliers' commitments to diversity, inclusion and the environment when they tender for new work.

Under new evaluation criteria to provide Vodafone with products and services, these commitments will account for 20% of the supplier selection criteria from October 2020, the U.K. telecommunications group said.

Suppliers will be asked to demonstrate policies that support diversity in the workplace, and Vodafone will also examine whether suppliers have environmental policies to address carbon reduction, renewable energy, plastic reduction, circular economy and product lifecycle, the company said.

"We will be providing practical support for our smaller suppliers, providing help and tools to ensure that vendors of all sizes have the opportunity to align with our purpose when we consider them for contracts," Chief Financial Officer Margherita Della Valle said.

Write to Adria Calatayud at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 23, 2020 02:44 ET (06:44 GMT)

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