Scope 1 Emissions
2022 Communication on Progress
RELX Group plc
Published date
June 29, 2022
No. of questions
63
Supplemental files
CEO Statement
Signed
Governance
Policies and Responsibilities
1. Does the Board / highest governance body or most senior executive of the company:
Optional commentFull details are publicly available in the 2021 RELX Corporate Responsibility Report https://www.relx.com/~/media/Files/R/RELX-Group/documents/responsibility/download-center/2021-cr-report.pdf2. Does the company have a publicly stated commitment regarding the following sustainability topics?
Optional commentFull details are publicly available in the 2021 RELX Corporate Responsibility Report https://www.relx.com/~/media/Files/R/RELX-Group/documents/responsibility/download-center/2021-cr-report.pdf3. Does the company have in place a code of conduct regarding each of the following sustainability topics?
Optional commentFull details are publicly available in the 2021 RELX Corporate Responsibility Report https://www.relx.com/~/media/Files/R/RELX-Group/documents/responsibility/download-center/2021-cr-report.pdf The Code of Conduct and Business Conduct is publicly available: https://www.relx.com/investors/corporate-governance/code-of-ethics4. Has the company appointed an individual or group responsible for each of the following sustainability topics?
Optional commentFull details are publicly available in the 2021 RELX Corporate Responsibility Report https://www.relx.com/~/media/Files/R/RELX-Group/documents/responsibility/download-center/2021-cr-report.pdf5. Does the company have a formal structure(s) (such as a cross-functional committee) to address each of the following sustainability topics?
Optional commentFull details are publicly available in the 2021 RELX Corporate Responsibility Report https://www.relx.com/~/media/Files/R/RELX-Group/documents/responsibility/download-center/2021-cr-report.pdfPrevention
6. Does the company have a process or processes to assess risk?
Optional commentFull details are publicly available in the 2021 RELX Corporate Responsibility Report https://www.relx.com/~/media/Files/R/RELX-Group/documents/responsibility/download-center/2021-cr-report.pdf6.1. During the assessment of risk, which business relationships are reviewed?
Optional commentFull details are publicly available in the 2021 RELX Corporate Responsibility Report https://www.relx.com/~/media/Files/R/RELX-Group/documents/responsibility/download-center/2021-cr-report.pdf7. Does the company have a due diligence process through which it identifies, prevents, mitigates, and accounts for actual and potential negative impacts on sustainability topics?
Optional commentFull details are publicly available in the 2021 RELX Corporate Responsibility Report https://www.relx.com/~/media/Files/R/RELX-Group/documents/responsibility/download-center/2021-cr-report.pdfConcerns and grievance mechanisms
8. Are there any processes through which members of the company’s workforce can raise concerns about the company’s conduct related to human rights, labour rights, environment, or anti-corruption?
8.1. Please provide additional detail regarding the process(es) the company has through which members of the company’s workforce can raise concerns about the company’s conduct.
9. Does the company provide or enable access to effective remedy to right holders / stakeholders where it has caused or contributed to the adverse impact?
Lessons
10. How does the company capture lessons regarding each of the following sustainability topics?
Executive Pay
11. Is executive pay linked to performance on one or more of the following sustainability topics?
Board Composition
12. Percentage of individuals within the company’s Board / highest governance body by:
13. Do you produce sustainability reporting according to:
Data Assurance
14. Is the information disclosed in this questionnaire assured by a third-party?
Human Rights
Materiality / Saliency
1. Which of the following has the company identified as material human rights issues connected with its operations and/or value chain, whether based on their salience (i.e., the most severe potential negative impacts on people) or another basis?
Commitment
2. Does the company have a policy commitment in relation to the following human rights issues?
2.1. For each human rights policy, is it:
Prevention
3. In the course of the reporting period, has the company engaged with affected stakeholders or their legitimate representatives in relation to the following human rights issues?
4. What type of action has the company taken in the reporting period with the aim of preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with this human rights issue?
5. Who receives training for the following human rights issues?
6. How does the company assess progress in preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with the following human rights issues?
Optional commentTargets are being developed. Metrics are disclosed annually and reviewed by the senior team at least quarterly.Response
7. During the reporting period, has the company been involved in providing or enabling remedy where it has caused or contributed to adverse impact associated with the following human rights issue(s)?
8. Briefly describe practical actions the company has taken during the reporting period and/or plans to take to implement the human rights principles, including any challenges faced and actions taken towards prevention and/or remediation.
Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights: Our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct (Code) disseminated to every employee and publicly available at www.relx.com, sets the standard for our corporate and individual behaviour. The UNGC ten principles are reflected in our Code which stresses our commitment to respecting human rights and supporting fair and nondiscriminatory labour practices, among other provisions. The Code clearly states that we “support and respect international human rights” and work to “ensure that we are not complicit in human rights abuses.” The Code is available in 14 languages to ensure all our employees understand it. It is supplemented by other policies to further assist employees in complying with laws related to antibribery, competition, data privacy and security, trade sanctions and workplace harassment. Employees receive mandatory training on the Code – both as new hires and at regular intervals during their tenure – in order to maintain a respectful workplace, prevent bribery and protect personal and company data. Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses: We maintain compliance committees for all parts of RELX. Employees are expected to report suspected violations of the Code or law to their manager, a human resources representative, a company lawyer or the appropriate compliance committee. We also offer employees a confidential reporting line, the Integrity Line, managed by an independent third party, which is accessible by telephone or online 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. As allowed under applicable law, employees may submit reports to the Integrity Line anonymously. RELX tracks all enquiries and reports received through the Integrity Line plus any reports received, regardless of reporting mechanism. We analyse violations and reports by subject matter, business line, and geography, among other categories; and report trends and mitigation efforts to senior management and the Audit Committee. To date, we have not received any reports or questions from employees that directly relate to modern slavery We have a comprehensive Supplier Code of Conduct (Supplier Code), available in 16 languages, which we ask suppliers to adhere to and display prominently in the workplace. It commits them to following applicable laws and best practice in areas such as human rights, labour and the environment. It also asks our suppliers to require the same standards in their supply chains, including requesting subcontractors to enter into a commitment to uphold the Supplier Code. The Supplier Code states that, where local industry standards are higher than applicable legal requirements, we expect suppliers to meet the higher standards. Our SRS programme is a key aspect of our work to prevent modern slavery and human trafficking in our supply chain. The Supplier Code contains provisions on child labour, involuntary labour, wages, coercion and harassment, non-discrimination, association, health and safety, environment and anticorruption. In accordance with the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015 and based on the American Bar Association’s Model Business Conduct Standards to Eradicate Labor Human Rights Impacts in Hiring and Supply Chain Practices, our Supplier Code specifically prohibits participation in any activity related to human trafficking. Our Supplier Code states unequivocally that suppliers cannot directly or indirectly use, participate in, or benefit from involuntary workers, including human trafficking or related activities. To strengthen adherence to our Supplier Code, we embed it into standard terms and conditions (such as contracts and purchase orders). Given the importance of an ethical supply chain, we maintain a Socially Responsible Supplier (SRS) programme encompassing all our businesses, supported by colleagues with expertise in operations and procurement and a dedicated SRS Director from our global procurement function. We use a country risk ranking tool to determine risk in our supply chain. The tool, developed by Carnstone, incorporates eleven indicators including data from the ITUC Global Rights Index, the US State Department Trafficking in Persons report, the Human Development Index, the Freedom in the World Civil Rights survey, the Rule of Law Index produced by the World Justice Project and UNICEF's % of children aged 5-14 years engaged in child labour data, to determine the risk level of each country. We focus on suppliers primarily located in high and medium risk countries, as designated by the tool. In addition, we monitor our supply chain by using our own commercial tools such as LexisNexis Entity Insight, which provides access to comprehensive global news content and company and market intelligence, alerting colleagues to potential supply chain disruptions and supplier risks. We also use Bridger Insight XG which allows us to monitor our supply chain for global sanctions. We are notified of any potential sanctions matches in an easy to use workflow.Labour
Commitment
1. Does the company have a policy commitment in relation to the following labour rights principles?
1.1. For each labour rights policy, is it:
Prevention
2. In the course of the reporting period, has the company engaged with affected stakeholders or their legitimate representatives in relation to the following labour rights issues?
3. What type of action has the company taken in the reporting period with the aim of preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with this labour rights issue?
4. Who receives training for the following labour rights issues?
5. How does the company assess progress in preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with the following labour rights issues?
Performance
6. What is the percentage of employees covered under collective bargaining agreements?
7. What is the percentage of employees in a trade union or other workers' organization?
8. In the course of the reporting period, what was the percentage of women in:
9. What was the average ratio of the basic salary and remuneration of women to men (comparing jobs of equal value) during the reporting period?
10. In the course of the reporting period, how frequently were workers injured (injuries per hour worked)?
Optional commentThere were 0.01 cases per 200,000 hours worked11. In the course of the reporting period, what was the company’s incident rate?
Optional comment0.07 cases per 1,000 employeesResponse and Reporting
12. In the course of the reporting period, has the company been involved in providing or enabling remedy where it has caused or contributed to the adverse impact associated with the following labour rights issues?
13. Briefly describe practical actions the company has taken during the reporting period and/or plans to take to implement the labour rights principles, including any challenges faced and actions taken towards prevention and/or remediation.
Our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct makes it clear: “We prohibit discrimination. We recruit, hire, develop, promote… and provide other conditions of employment without regard to race, colour, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability or any other category protected by law. This includes accommodating employees’ disabilities or religious beliefs or practices.” In addition, our Inclusion and Diversity Policy articulates our commitment to a diverse workforce and an environment that respects individuals and their contributions, regardless of gender, race or other characteristics. Our inclusion strategy focuses on translating the Inclusion and Diversity Policy into practical action. Among its commitments is maintaining an Inclusion Council, composed of leaders from each area of our business, supported by a broader Inclusion Working Group with more than 300 participants. Our 2020-2025 inclusion goals, covering all aspects of diversity, are a catalyst to our efforts to ensure an inclusive and diverse workforce. In 2021, RELX Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) grew to over 100 networks, focused on a range of inclusion priorities, including gender, race and ethnicity, age, LGBTQ+ and disability. ERGs allow colleagues to collaborate, advocate and engage communities, furthering the RELX Inclusion and Diversity Policy. In recognition of the important roles ERGs play in advancing a culture of inclusion, all staff have two days paid time-off per year to use for ERG-sponsored activities. In 2021 4,227 ERG hours were recorded. In the year, we held our annual inclusion and diversity conference virtually during Diversity Awareness Month. Reimagine Inclusion to Strengthen Engagement (RISE) featured more than 1,100 attendees and 20 hours of programming spanning multiple time zones, with sessions on psychological safety, professional development, inclusive leadership and ERG engagement featuring the CEOs of our four businesses in a panel discussion hosted by RELX’s Chief Strategy Officer. In the year, we progressed our inclusion goals by introducing targeted initiatives encompassing training, development and recruitment. We have an established governance structure with an Inclusion Council comprised of inclusion and diversity leads from each of our business areas as well as representatives from legal, reward, strategy and HR. The Diversity and Inclusion Data Steering Committee supports the advancement of the goals through quarterly reviews of diversity data trendsEnvironment
Commitment
1. Does the company have a formal policy on the following environmental topics?
1.1. For each environmental policy, is it:
Prevention
2. In the course of the reporting period, has the company engaged with affected stakeholders or their legitimate representatives in relation to the following environmental issues?
3. What type of action has the company taken in the reporting period with the aim of preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with these environmental topics?
Optional commentRELX4. How does the company assess progress in preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with the following environmental topics?
4.1. For each environmental topic in which the company sets timebound goals / targets, what kind of targets has the company set?
4.2. For each environmental topic in which the company sets timebound goals / targets, how is progress against target / goal tracked?
5. In the course of the reporting period, has the company been involved in providing or enabling remedy for any actual impacts associated with the following environmental issue(s)?
Climate Action
6. What were the company’s gross global greenhouse gas emissions for the reporting period?
Scope 2 Emissions
Scope 3 Emissions
Optional commentScope 3 figure relates to business travel (flights)7. What percentage of the company's revenue was invested in R&D of low-carbon products/services during this reporting period?
Optional commentCirca 1% of revenue is generated from customers in carbon intensive sectors.8. Has the organization acted to support climate change adaptation and resilience?
Energy / Resource Use
9. Please report the company's renewable energy consumption as a percentage of total energy consumption in the reporting period.
Technology
10. What percent of the company's revenue came from environmentally friendly products / services during this reporting period?
Sector-specific Questions
11. Which sector(s) does the company operate in? If diversified, choose top 3 by revenue.
Overall Environment
21. Briefly describe practical actions the company has taken during the reporting period and/or plans to take to implement the environment principles, including any challenges faced and actions taken towards prevention and/or remediation.
Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges: The RELX Environmental Policy is developed under a precautionary principle. In the year we continued to advance our certified environmental management system and progressed our achievement of environmental targets. Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility: The RELX Environmental Challenge awarded funding to two water and sanitation projects. Through the RELX SDG Resource Centre environmental content and publications were made freely available to all users. Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies: Funding was awarded to winners of the Chemistry for Climate Action Challenge and the Renewable Transformation Challenge. In creating our products and services we have an impact on the environment in areas such as carbon emissions, energy and water usage. But arguably bigger and more important is our growing portfolio of environmental products and services, which spread good practice, encourage debate and aid researchers and decision makers. The most recent results from Scopus show our share of citations in environmental science represented 51% of the total marketAnti-corruption
Commitment
1. Does the company have an anti-corruption compliance programme?
2. Does your company have policies and recommendations for employees on how to act in case of doubt and/or in situations that may represent a conflict of interest, e.g. with regard to gifts and hospitality, donations, sponsorship, or interactions with public officials?
Prevention
3. Who receives training on anti-corruption and integrity?
3.1. How often is such training provided?
4. Does the company monitor its anti-corruption compliance programme?
Response and Reporting
5. Please report the company's total number and nature of incidents of corruption during the reporting year.
6. Within the reporting period, what measures has the company taken to address suspected incidents of corruption independently or in response to a dispute or investigation by a government regulator?
7. Does your company engage in Collective Action against corruption?
8. Briefly describe practical actions the company has taken during the reporting period and/or plans to take to implement the anti-corruption principle, including any challenges faced and actions taken towards prevention and/or remediation.
Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery: We maintain a comprehensive set of compliance policies and procedures in support of the Code. These are reviewed at least annually to ensure they remain current and effective. Our policies and procedures help us comply with the law and conduct our business in an open, honest, ethical and principled way. In the case of our anti-bribery efforts, they comprise part of our adequate procedures for compliance with applicable laws. Employees receive mandatory training on the Code – both as new hires and regularly throughout their employment – on topics such as maintaining a respectful workplace, preventing bribery and anti-competitive activity, and protecting personal and company data. Mandatory periodic training covers key Code topics and is supplemented by advanced in-person training for those in higher-risk roles or higher-risk regions. We offer employees an Integrity Line where they can report any concerns, managed by an independent third party and accessible by telephone or online 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Integrity Line also includes an Ask A Question feature which allows employees to seek ethical advice before taking action. Reports of violations of the Code or related policies are promptly investigated, with careful tracking and monitoring of violations and related mitigation and remediation efforts by compliance teams across the business. We remained diligent in our ongoing efforts to comply with applicable bribery and sanctions laws and mitigate risks in these areas. Our anti-bribery and sanctions programmes include detailed, risk-based internal policies and procedures on topics such as doing business with government officials, gift and entertainment limits, gift registers, and complex sanctions requirements. Relationships with third parties and acquisition targets are evaluated for risk using questionnaires, references, detailed electronic searches, and Know Your Customer screening tools. We monitor and assess the implementation of our antibribery and sanctions programmes by continually reviewing and updating our policies and procedures; conducting periodic programmatic risk assessments; and conducting quality reviews and internal monitoring and audits of the operational aspects of the programmes. We also held Compliance Week activities with videos, emails, articles and a quiz.