ESG Update: Strengthening Our Policies & Attending the ESG Summit

We firmly believe in the adage, “You’re only as good as the company you keep.” Surrounding ourselves with great people to achieve great things has always been our winning formula. That’s why attending the ESG Summit 2024 was one of the highlights of our year. It was a great opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and organisations, all dedicated to driving positive change.

This year, we’ve worked tirelessly to strengthen our Environmental and Social Governance (ESG) policies - focusing on Ethics, Sustainable Procurement, Labour & Human Rights, and our Supplier Code of Conduct. The ESG Summit was the perfect way to recognise these achievements and gain fresh inspiration to carry this momentum into the year ahead.

Championing Sustainability with Our Procurement Policy

At the ESG Summit, there was a sharp focus on the difference between businesses “doing sustainability” and “being sustainable”. True sustainability goes beyond ticking boxes—it’s about embedding ESG into your core values and using it as a catalyst for value creation. Our Sustainable Procurement Policy plays a vital role in this journey of transformation.

Through initiatives like our ESG Project, Supplier Management Process, Purchasing Process, and New Product Development Process, we are committed to minimising our environmental impact. This is outlined in our Sustainable Procurement Policy, which includes ambitious targets: reducing supplier power consumption, shrinking our carbon footprint, using more sustainable materials in our products, eliminating non-recyclable packaging, and more.

Ethical Business Starts at Home in ROBUS

Thinking sustainably requires having a bigger-picture view of how your business impacts not only the local community or nation but also the EU and the world beyond. For example, at the ESG Summit presenter Philip Boucher-Hayes explained how by 2030 climate change could push >130 million more people into poverty and that those least responsible for climate change are impacted the most by it. The Green Deal was also a hot topic at this year’s ESG Summit and as debate rises around who is doing their fair share, the issue of ethics is never far behind.

At ROBUS, we are committed to ethically conducting our business with the utmost integrity. Our Ethics Policy is our roadmap for identifying, preventing, addressing, and reporting unethical behaviour at every level of our business. It’s built on four key pillars:

1. Code of Conduct
2. Anti-Bribery & Anti-Corruption
3. Anti-Competitive Practices
4. Responsible Management of Information

Each pillar has been rigorously assessed for potential risks and strengthened with robust processes to ensure we stay true to our commitment to ethical business practices.

Establishing Sustainable Supply Chains with The Supplier Code of Conduct

Colette Shirley, Sustainability Director at Bank of Ireland, discussed how establishing sustainable supply chains has been identified as fundamental to transitioning to a net-zero economy. At ROBUS, we provide lighting solutions that are trusted by over 2,000 stockists and thousands of installers worldwide. But for a truly effective value chain that champions sustainability, that trust must go both ways. We expect the application of high legal, ethical, environmental and employee-related standards not only within our own business, but among our suppliers.

That’s why we are committed to the Supplier Code of Conduct which details the minimum standards of business conduct that we expect from all of our suppliers in the areas of law and regulation, environmental sustainability, human rights and social sustainability, diversity and inclusiveness, ethics and monitoring. This is how we foster a thriving community of sustainable businesses.

Keeping the Company in Company with Our Human Rights Policy

At our core, we are more than just a lighting manufacturer - we are a community of people. True sustainability is about more than policies or practices; it’s about asking the bigger question:

How can we thrive together?

We have developed our Labour and Human Rights Policy to ensure every person is treated fairly and respectfully at ROBUS. This includes procedures for Employee Health & Safety, Employee Working Conditions, Career Management & Training, Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking, Social Dialogue, and Diversity, Discriminatory & Harassment. Our CEO is responsible for maintaining this process, and it applies to all staff at ROBUS and across the LED Group Ltd.

Neil Makaroff, Director of Strategic Perspectives in Brussels, was adamant that full support of the EU Green Deal is required to ensure greenhouse gases can be reduced by 90% before 2050. We’re proud to be doing our part and continuing to evolve as a sustainable business on the global stage. Curious about our journey? Dive into our ESG Guide for an in-depth look at our ESG initiatives and achievements.