Our suppliers
Making more progress together
As a large company, every year we purchase many products and services from suppliers. Because sustainability is deeply rooted in our organization, we have high expectations of the parties we work with. KPN critically reviews their impact on the environment and the working conditions of staff.
We work closely with suppliers to make equipment and products less impactful on the environment. We do this by entering into structural discussions with strategic suppliers and we impose specific conditions on products and services to improve their sustainable performance. Our partners share the commitment to working increasingly sustainably. Only together with all these parties in the chain can we reduce our energy consumption and improve working conditions. In this way, we put into practice the ambition to operate almost completely circularly by 2025, whereby we reuse all raw materials and no longer produce waste.
Even closer to fully circular
Eighteen major suppliers, including international network equipment manufacturers, will work with us to ensure that all new KPN network and customer equipment lasts longer and is produced with fewer new raw materials. Manufacturers such as Nokia, Cisco, Dell EMC signed the KPN Circular Manifesto, which was drawn up in 2017 together with seven other suppliers. With the newly connected suppliers, approximately 70% of KPN's annual expenditure on network hardware is covered (was 20%). The intention is that by 2025, almost 100% of all parts and raw materials can be reused or recycled.
Read more about this in our annual report.
Key facts
High demands
When KPN purchases products or services, we have high demands of our suppliers. We see them as partners in achieving mutual success. That’s why we want to work with suppliers that are able, together with us, to explore strategic goals and put through improvements down the chain. Our suppliers are innovative, think with us and are proactive in the area of taking social responsibility. We make clear and concrete agreements with the parties we work with on a structural basis. We not only set out the specifications for products and services, but also the sustainable way in which these should be delivered.
Anyone who delivers to KPN must comply with the suppliers’ code of conduct. This sets out the social and environmental demands for suppliers. This code is based on the United Nations Charter and the core conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO). The code contains conditions relating to human rights, labor conditions, privacy, safety, environment, bribery and fraud. The code of conduct forms part of our general purchasing conditions.
Cooperation between major telecom companies
In order to conduct business responsibly not only in its own country, but also on a global scale, KPN has been a member of the Joint Alliance for CSR (JAC), formerly Joint Audit Coöperation, since 2011. The JAC is a partnership of telecom companies worldwide with the aim of conducting audits at important ICT suppliers. With these audits, the telecom companies ensure that all major players in the chain commit to corporate social responsibility. JAC audits major suppliers in China, Taiwan, India, Japan, South Korea, Eastern Europe and South America, among others.
Case study #1
Handing in unused mobile phones
Both customers and non-customers can hand in their 'old' mobile phones at a KPN store. Usable devices get a second life through refurbishment or parts are reused, also in collaboration with KPN partners. This way we recycle phones responsibly.
Case study #2
36,000 fewer invoices
Every month KPN receives piles of paper invoices. From Stedin alone, one of our network administrators, we received 36,000 filled envelopes annually. A waste of time and resources. That is why Stedin and KPN joined forces and from now on all mail arrives electronically via the Simplerinvoicing network.
Case study #3
Less plastic
A good example of how you can make a product more sustainable are the SuperWifi points: these are made of recycled plastic and therefore more environmentally friendly to produce. In addition, they are also lighter in weight than the previous version. KPN reduces the mountain of plastic with this, and even goes further by making packaging materials plastic-free.
Case study #4
Efficient servers
One of our suppliers came up with an innovative IT server that processes more data but, at the same time, is more economical. KPN successfully tested this server and, subsequently, we put 24 of these new servers into use. This saves 0.22 GWh per year – the equivalent of the energy consumption of 66 households.
Case study #5
Saving on paper
Our customers indicated that they rarely use the paper manuals for our modems and TV receivers. They would rather look this information up online. That’s why, together with the suppliers of these devices, we’ve decided to replace the extensive manuals with concise instructions, containing only the most important information. This saves roughly 286 tonnes of paper and €660,000 in costs every year.
Case study #6
KPN Energy Innovation Lab
In the world of energy, supply and demand are becoming increasingly less consistent. Even when there is no wind and the sun is not shining, we still need electricity. KPN is preparing for this by researching new technologies in the Energy Innovation Lab, such as energy storage, energy generation and energy savings. This not only enriches KPN, but also helps the Netherlands in the current energy transition.