We recognise that all of our 2,096 suppliers make a vital contribution to our business success. We seek to establish commercial relationships with them to deliver best value for Legal & General and ensure that our supply chain activities are both ethical and sustainable. We also recognise our responsibility to treat suppliers fairly and objectively at all times, including those competing for our business when we review our contracts.
In 2008, we published our Sustainable Procurement Policy, which increased the requirements for our suppliers as well as strengthening our commitments of support. We also focused on the training and development of our procurement staff in CSR management and introduced a carbon management strategy for our supply chain.
In 2007, our Purchasing Director, Paul Lee, invited key suppliers to engage with us on CSR issues to improve their performance. In 2008, we directly engaged with 76% of our key suppliers and facilitated many improvements in their social and environmental programmes. We secured ISO 14001 accreditation for the environmental management of over 70% of our key suppliers.