Better Health for All
10
Electrocomponents plc's core business of industrial and electronic products is generally health-neutral, though it offers a "Better World" product range of approximately 30,000 products.
1
The company's all accident frequency rate is 0.44 per 200,000 hours worked (2.2 per million hours), and it has received the RoSPA Gold Medal Award for nine consecutive years.
2
The company maintains excellent risk transparency by publishing RoHS status and informing customers of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) above 0.1% by weight.
3
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company demonstrated a transformative crisis response, ensuring the supply of critical PPE, facilitating ventilator production, donating 10,000 face shields to West Africa, and supporting health workers.
4
For mental health, it has a Global Wellbeing Policy, provides 7 Mental Health First Aiders in the Americas, offers EAP/private medical healthcare, and established wellbeing rooms.
5
Additionally, it launched STEM education initiatives during the pandemic, emphasizing health education.
6
Fair Money & Economic Opportunity
0
The provided articles describe Electrocomponents plc (RS Group) as a global provider of industrial and electronic products and solutions, focusing on optimizing pricing strategies
1
, restructuring its supply chain
2
, and expanding digital sales channels
3
for these products. The company's core business, as evidenced by the articles, does not involve lending, insurance, or other financial services. Consequently, no specific data points relevant to the 'Fair Money & Economic Opportunity' value's KPIs, which pertain to financial institutions and services, were found in the provided evidence.
Fair Pay & Worker Respect
0
No specific, quantitative data was provided in the articles to assess Electrocomponents plc against the defined KPIs for Fair Pay & Worker Respect. Information available includes employee perception that 75% are paid fairly
1
and the company's commitment to higher minimum wages and competitive compensation
2
. The company has also implemented a global health and safety policy with a 'Target Zero' accidents initiative
3
and invests in employee welfare initiatives, including mental and physical health training
4
. However, these do not provide the specific metrics required by the rubric's KPIs, such as a percentage of the workforce earning a living wage, a CEO-to-median-employee pay ratio, a safety incident rate, or an employee engagement score.
Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing
-20
As of 2024/25, 64% of suppliers by spend had signed RS Group's Ethical Trading Declaration or provided their own equivalent ethical policy.
1
The company reports zero substantiated forced or child labour incidents, maintaining a zero-tolerance stance. Proactive risk screening of existing suppliers is conducted against global government lists, with more in-depth ethics and compliance checks on higher-risk RS PRO suppliers, and a geographical risk assessment was completed in March 2023 using the Modern Day Slavery Index.
2
Honest & Fair Business
20
The company demonstrates high transparency, evidenced by its EcoVadis Platinum medal, placing it in the top 1% of over 100,000 companies assessed for sustainability, which includes business ethics.
1
This also indicates extensive independent verification of ethical claims. The company operates a comprehensive "Speak Up" whistleblowing process, which is confidential and protects against victimisation.
2
This policy is regularly refreshed, and dedicated training and awareness campaigns are delivered, with the Audit Committee monitoring its operation and resolution of reports.
3
In 2023/24, 23 Speak Up reports were received, all of which were investigated and acted upon.
4
RS Group maintains a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption, supported by a comprehensive Anti-Bribery & Corruption Policy that covers bribes, gifts, hospitality, facilitation payments, and political and charitable contributions.
5
Anti-bribery training was delivered to 100% of its top 500 leaders in 2023/24.
6
The company reported one financial restatement in 2022/23 to include post-acquisition data.
7
Kind to Animals
0
No specific, concrete evidence was found in the provided articles to assess the company against any of the 'Kind to Animals' KPIs. The articles mention general environmental sustainability goals
1
, ethical standards
2
, and responsible engineering practices
3
, but these do not provide measurable data points related to cruelty-free certifications, animal testing, humane operations, wildlife conservation impact, ethical ingredient substitution, supplier audits for welfare, cage-free sourcing, animal testing policies or volume, innovation investment in animal-free alternatives, animal agriculture ethics, animal-free R&D collaboration, or public policy engagement on animal welfare.
No War, No Weapons
0
Electrocomponents' product range is primarily civilian, with no explicit defense contracts.
1
Consequently, there are no defense assets to divest and no defense business for the board to oversee. The company is a signatory to the UN Global Compact since 2020/21, upholding its principles of human rights, labor, environment, sustainability, and anti-corruption.
2
It also achieved a top score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index.
3
Planet-Friendly Business
-20
The company reported total Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions of 3.72 million tCO2e in 2024/25.
1
It has four near-term science-based targets validated by SBTi, with the Scope 1 and 2 target aligned to a 1.5°C pathway.
2
The company aims for net-zero in direct operations by 2030
3
and across the value chain by 2050.
4
In 2024/25, 93% of the Group's electricity was sourced from renewable energy.
5
The company achieved an 84% waste recycling rate in 2024/25
6
and a 37% reduction in packaging intensity since 2019/20.
7
Climate scenario analysis is conducted, assessing physical and transition risks under various IPCC and IEA scenarios, with potential financial impacts modeled.
8
The company is aligned with the 11 TCFD recommendations.
9
However, only 38% of suppliers by spend have set science-based targets.
10
The company supports climate justice through The Washing Machine Project, raising £963,300 since 2020/21 to provide off-grid washing solutions to over 46,000 people in vulnerable communities.
11
Respect for Cultures & Communities
0
The provided articles discuss Electrocomponents' commitment to sustainable operations, reducing environmental impact, and its 'For a Better World' ESG action plan, including net-zero greenhouse gas emissions targets.
1
The plan aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its global operations by 2030.
2
The 'For a Better World' ESG action plan was announced in November 2021.
3
However, the articles do not contain specific, quantifiable evidence related to any of the KPIs for 'Respect for Cultures & Communities', such as formal partnerships with indigenous or local community groups, reinvestment in local community development, cultural appropriation incidents, cultural impact assessment protocols, local employment ratios, grievance mechanisms, FPIC processes, community governance inclusion, cultural preservation investment, local procurement, indigenous suppliers, cultural site protection, social license to operate, charitable giving to cultural organizations, community fund allocation, language inclusivity, cultural incident response, or cultural sensitivity training completion.
Safe & Smart Tech
10
RS Group demonstrates strong security training effectiveness, with mandatory annual cyber security training for all staff
1
, enhanced by expanded phishing simulation tests
2
. A survey across all employees helps tailor training
3
, and a new platform with quizzes and a continual learning approach is used
4
. The company shows very strong regulatory compliance
5
, with policies and processes to comply with data protection laws
6
, registration as a data controller under the UK Data Protection Act
7
, and proactive monitoring of evolving regulations such as the NIS2 Directive and EU AI Regulation
8
. Following a cyber incident in March 2023
9
, no evidence of data misuse has been found to date
10
. RS Group launched a new Group AI Policy in April 2024
11
and formed an AI community in December 2023
12
to provide guidance on AI tool usage, assess current AI usage
13
, and monitor legal developments
14
. The company became a signatory to the UN Global Compact in 2020/21
15
, confirming a commitment to human rights
16
. RS Group holds Cyber Essentials accreditation
17
. Users have the right to request access, rectification, or erasure of their personal information
18
, and to object to or restrict certain types of processing
19
.
Zero Waste & Sustainable Products
-20
In 2024/25, the company recycled 84% of its total waste.
1
Currently, 94% of its packaging is reusable or recyclable.
2
The company has set multiple quantitative waste reduction targets for 2029/30, including reducing waste intensity by 50%, recycling over 95% of waste, achieving zero waste to landfill in direct operations, reducing packaging intensity by 45%, ensuring 100% of packaging is reusable or recyclable, and having 100% of packaging made with at least 50% recycled content.
3
Products are designed for circularity, disassembly, repairability, and extended lifespans.
4
Waste reduction initiatives include introducing automated packing machines at three distribution centers, optimizing carton sizes, and implementing a new waste management process at its Beauvais, France DC, which diverted over £600,000 worth of products from waste in 2024/25.
5
The RS ControlStock® system also saved a customer £30,000 annually by eliminating waste.
6
Take-back programs are in development or trial for key products like cables and selected personal protective equipment.
7
Customer education includes using QR codes on packaging to provide information on sustainable packaging and local legislative requirements.
8