Fair Pay & Worker Respect

There is insufficient evidence to assess Vodafone's performance regarding Fair Pay & Worker Respect. The provided articles do not contain relevant data on key metrics such as living wage coverage, CEO-to-median-employee pay ratio, collective bargaining share, safety incident rate, pay equity ratio, worker engagement score, turnover rate, labor violation incidents, insecure contract share, or health insurance coverage

, , . Without this information, a meaningful evaluation cannot be made. The materiality analysis indicates that fair pay and worker respect are material to Vodafone's operations, but a lack of specific data prevents scoring.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

Vodafone identified 12 issues related to forced labour in its supply chain in FY25, with 11 remedial actions taken.

All suppliers must comply with Vodafone's Code of Ethical Purchasing, which includes explicit provisions related to modern slavery, and these terms are non-negotiable and form part of standard contracts. Corrective action plans are agreed upon with suppliers, with resolution timescales determined by the severity of the impact, and most corrective actions are closed within 120-180 days. The company's ability to map its entire supply chain beyond direct suppliers is impacted by its complexity and dynamic nature. Vodafone's supplier evaluation scorecard includes a 5% weighting for diversity and inclusion, but no specific percentage of procurement budget directed to diverse suppliers is provided.

Kind to Animals

Vodafone Group Plc is a telecommunications company, and the provided articles indicate its core business model does not involve animal-derived products, animal testing, animal husbandry, or animal agriculture. Therefore, several KPIs related to these activities are not applicable. The company has partnered with WWF since November 2022, aiming to collect one million phones and donating £1 for each collected phone to WWF conservation projects.

Over 200,000 devices were collected in the first year. Vodafone has also developed technology solutions such as mTwiga for human-wildlife conflict prevention and AI-based technology to prevent whale entanglement in mussel farming equipment. However, the articles do not provide measurable biodiversity impact, species recovery, or habitat restoration metrics to score the 'wildlife_conservation_impact' KPI.

No War, No Weapons

Vodafone bases its procurement on a Code of Ethical Purchasing and details due diligence processes for responsible mineral sourcing, following OECD Due Diligence Guidance.

The company conducts annual human rights due diligence in high-risk regions, reviewing salient human rights risks with external advisor support in 2023. Vodafone states its human rights approach is aligned with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and upholds international human rights. The company is committed to transparency, externally reporting on law enforcement demands received in each country, but cannot provide surveillance statistics in markets where it is obliged to allow direct access. Vodafone engaged a third-party auditor to assess its Responsible Minerals Programme, using the results to validate implementation and identify improvements. The company annually reviews supplier responses to the Conflict Minerals Reporting Template and follows up for clarification. In-Scope Products, which account for less than 1% of total expenditure, contain 3TG metals from Covered Countries, and 93% of 250 identified Smelters were RMI Conformant or Active. Vodafone screens hundreds of AI use cases across the organization and has implemented an "AI Ethics by design" approach with internal controls. Its Code of Conduct includes explicit provisions for nondiscrimination and fair treatment, to which all AI experts and data scientists are subject.

Planet-Friendly Business

Vodafone's total Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions were 6.88 million tCO2e in FY25, with Scope 1 and 2 at 0.27 million tCO2e and Scope 3 at 6.61 million tCO2e.

The company has SBTi-validated near-term and long-term science-based targets aligned with a 1.5°C pathway. It matched 100% of grid electricity purchased and used in global operations with renewable sources in FY25. Vodafone's net-zero target for the full value chain is 2040, with earlier targets for specific operations. In FY21, 98.7% of non-hazardous network waste was sent for reuse and recycling. The company reduced its media and advertising carbon footprint by 34% from Q3 FY23 to Q3 FY24. Vodafone developed a transition plan referencing the UK TPT framework and is compliant with 10 out of 11 TCFD recommendations for FY23. The company conducts comprehensive climate scenario analysis including 1.5°C, 2°C, and 3°C+ pathways. Vodafone discloses climate-related assets at risk and outlines its management approach. No information is provided on the quality of carbon offsets used or the percentage of EBIT reinvested in climate-positive initiatives. While the company engages with suppliers on climate performance, specific data on supplier emissions disclosure or SBTi targets is not provided. Vodafone has pilot projects related to biodiversity and deforestation, but no comprehensive programs or verified implementation rates are detailed.

Safe & Smart Tech

Vodafone reported no Severity 0 (significant data breaches) in the past two financial years (FY23, FY24).

However, the company was fined €45 million by the German Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information for GDPR violations, including €30 million for authentication vulnerabilities on the MeinVodafone portal allowing unauthorized access to eSIM profiles. This constitutes a significant breach. Additionally, Vodafone was fined €12.5 million by the Italian Data Protection Authority for GDPR violations, including acquiring personal data from 4.5 million citizens without consent. The company has been fined multiple times by Spanish and Romanian authorities for GDPR violations. Vodafone is ISO 27001 certified across its global technology function and 11 local markets. Mandatory annual cybersecurity training is conducted for mobile network employees, with phishing simulations involving over 100,000 emails. Vodafone performs over 1,000 penetration tests annually and has a 'Secure by Design' process for all products and services. The company has a global AI governance board and an ethical AI policy, emphasizing explainability and bias mitigation, and collaborates with the University of Oxford to detect and remove human bias in AI algorithms. Vodafone aims to collect only necessary data and uses pseudonymised and permissioned customer data. The company engages with stakeholders, including regulators and standard-setting bodies, to promote proportionate and risk-based security solutions.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Vodafone achieved its 2025 target to reuse, resell, or recycle 100% of decommissioned non-hazardous network equipment in FY25, with 0% disposed to landfill.

The Vodafone TV 3 Set Top Box casing comprises 96% recycled plastic, and its remote controls are made from 85% recycled plastic. The company reduced plastic use by 50% by halving SIM card holder size, eliminating 340 tonnes of plastic annually. Vodafone offers trade-in programs in eight markets and has collected 700,000 used phones for refurbishment or recycling. The company aims to reuse, resell, or recycle 100% of network waste by 2025 and halve its overall environmental impact by 2025. Vodafone considers environmental and social criteria, including circular economy, when selecting suppliers. Vodafone Spain repaired 100,000 handsets last year, and the EVO 36-month plan includes battery refresh and a two-year warranty. The new packaging design reduced its carbon footprint by 48% and package height from 80mm to 45mm.