Serving our customers and communities.
Valuing our people, contributing to a strong society and placing the Pepco Group at the heart of a responsible and efficient supply chain.
Strategic priorities
Strong society, valued supply chain, exceptional employer
[show 5 pillars with greener envt/better products highlighted]
Material topics
Serving our customers and communities; [Responsible] supply chain; employment
FY23 KPIs
- % factories audited
- % colleagues surveyed
- Number of people supported through our charitable work
Policies
- Supplier Code of Conduct
- Group Board Diversity Policy
- Diversity and Inclusion Policy
- Global Quality Assurance and Quality Control policy
- Gender Pay Gap reporting
- Modern Slavery statement
Associations / Accreditations
SEDEX: global data platform for supply chain assessment
Better Cotton Initiative
SDGs
1 – No poverty
8 – Decent work and economic growth
9 – Industry, innovation and infrastructure
12 – Responsible consumption and production
Governance
Perform annual audit of all factories
Engagement
Engage all colleagues regularly for feedback
Colleagues
Pepco has over [43,000] employees across 21 European countries as well as our sourcing operations in Asia. The markets in which we operate, both through our stores and our sourcing operations, are geographically diverse and have a broad range of social and economic contexts.
Our employees are fundamental to the successful delivery of our Group strategy and we recognise our duty to provide employment and opportunities in the diverse markets in which we operate and to share best practice and training to help our colleagues be the best they can be.
Providing fairly paid employment opportunities with good workplace standards provides income and opportunities to workers in the communities in which the Group operates, in turn providing a multiplier effect into local economies, thereby contributing to socio-economic development. This is specifically important given the geographically, socially and economically diverse contexts in which we operate.
The right to decent work and make a living allows people and communities to flourish, supports economic prosperity and wellbeing.
A well-trained and engaged workforce supports productivity and enables the Group’s strategy to be delivered effectively, both throughout the workforce and at the most senior levels of leadership.
Case study
Wellbeing and Inclusion Committee
At Poundland, we recently launched a Wellbeing and Inclusion Committee and use various channels to raise awareness with new dedicated Wellbeing and Inclusion pages on our internal portal.
Pepco baby/new mother packs?
Communities
At the core of our business model is our aim to provide value to our customers. For us this means providing our customers with affordable, high-value products, from convenient stores, sourced in an ethical and sustainable way.
Through its operations, the Group provides employment, development and investment opportunities in the communities where it operates resulting in a “multiplier” effect into the local economy and the livelihoods of local people. As part of its operations the Group also supports community-based initiatives and charity work.
We have multiple community partnerships across our markets. These predominantly focus on supporting vulnerable or sick children and their families – from providing terminally ill children with fun days out to supporting literacy and access to sports.
Case studies
Pepco Life Academy
The Pepco Life Academy programme in Slovenia encourages teens to actively participate in their society and educates them about human and citizen rights through whole series of thematic workshops.
[picture from
Poundland Foundation
Our Poundland Foundation Kits 4 Kids programme provides grants to kids’ sports clubs across the UK. Since launching, we have supported 600 clubs.
[picture from Poundland foundation]
Supply chain
Our sourcing business, PGS, manages a supply chain comprising [375]+ vendors using [700]+ factory production sites and is responsible for sourcing [xx]% of the non-branded GM and apparel items in our stores.
Owing to the scale of Pepco’s operations and the significant investment in our supply chain, we have the opportunity to support economic development, industry and employment opportunities. By implementing responsible sourcing policies and practices throughout our supply chain, Pepco procures products and services in an ethical, sustainable and socially conscious way, bringing positive impacts to the people and economies in which we operate, as well as minimising any negative environmental impacts.
We have strong policies in place to protect the integrity of our supply chain, including a Group-wide Supplier Code of Conduct, managed by our Group Sourcing Compliance team. We have a zero-tolerance policy on dangerous working conditions, forced labour, child labour, bribery and corruption, minimum wages not being paid and unauthorised subcontracting within our supply chain.
Case study
Supplier Environmental Guidelines
In FY23, the Group developed a voluntary set of ‘Pepco Group Environmental Guidelines For Suppliers’, which cover the following key areas:
- Environmental Management System
- Environmental regulations
- Accounting and minimising greenhouse gases (GHGs)
- Waste management
- Increased water usage efficiency
- Chemical management
- Safeguarding natural resources and biodiversity
- Sustainable packaging
- Sustainable raw material sourcing for products
[picture from Sunil on workshop?]