Business ethics

To achieve our purpose, we have to act ethically and with integrity, behaving in the right way and speaking up if we think others are not doing this. Our Employee Code of Conduct provides guidance on how to do the right thing and behave in the right way and highlights the key policies that all our employees must follow. It covers a number of topics about how we work together, including sustainability, financial commitments, communicating externally, health and safety, owning our behaviour and managing our data. 

The Board has zero tolerance for bribery and corruption of any sort and this is reinforced through our Code of Conduct. Our principal suppliers are required to have similar policies and practices in place within their own businesses. Our Employee Code of Conduct can be found here

Our Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy outlines the expected conduct of Landsec employees and how they can report any breaches. A training module on Anti-Bribery and Corruption forms part of the induction process for all new employees. In 2024/25 we reviewed and updated our Anti- Bribery and Corruption Policy and Ethical Business Policy. We have strengthened our procedures to prevent bribery and corruption including conflicts of interests and gifts and hospitality. We also launched a new Financial Crime Policy which includes how we prevent money laundering, corporate tax evasion and the new offence of failing to prevent fraud.

Responsible procurement 

51% of our emissions emanate from our supply chain, therefore it is important we work with suppliers that share our values and help us achieve the highest standards in our supply chain, while achieving wider social, economic and environmental benefits.

In June 2022, we published our Supply Chain Commitment, which sets out how we do business, the commitments we’ve set ourselves, and the minimum requirements we expect of all those we work with 100% of our strategic partners align with our sustainability requirements and are working with us for a sustainable future. Over 800 suppliers have signed up to date, including 93% of our strategic suppliers.

To support our supply chain in meeting Our Supply Chain Commitments, we partner with the Supply Chain Sustainability School – an online platform that shares knowledge and resources to build the skills required to achieve a sustainable built environment.

Complementing our Supply Chain Commitment, our Sustainable Procurement Guide is helping provide our colleagues with the knowledge to make the right decisions when buying consumables or business services, and to spend money wisely and effectively while supporting our corporate and sustainability commitments. 

Furthermore, in accordance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015, we publish annually our Modern Slavery Statement that describes the policies, processes and actions we have undertaken to address and prevent modern slavery across our business and supply chain.

Health and safety

We’re committed to maintaining an exceptional standard of health, safety and security in all the working environments we control. The effective management of health, safety and security is fundamental to the productivity, culture and reputation of our business.

Our goal is to provide healthy and safe places and communities that support our people and partners in realising their potential. We recognise we can only achieve this by working closely with our partners, including our supply chain, investors and enforcing authorities. Health and safety considerations were central to our corporate response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

We continue to maintain our ISO 45001 certification and BS 9997 fire-safety management-system certification, both subject to independent auditing. Our focus remains on safety improvements on areas where we can have the biggest impact, including reducing the risk of significant occupational-safety hazards, such as working at height, rooftop access management, asbestos management and  workplace transport hazard management. 

 We work with other leading property companies to establish consistency in measuring and reporting health and safety data, to enable performance benchmarking with our peer group. 

Fire safety 

Fire safety remains one of our priority focus areas, and we have continued our work to ensure we meet new government initiatives and legislation. We have also maintained our fire-safety management-system certification to the BS 9997 standard. All high-rise residential buildings above 11 metres in our portfolio have been examined by independent fire engineers to ensure they remain safe for occupation, and meet stringent new building regulations.

We have accepted responsibility under the Developers’ Pledge to remediate at our expense any life-safety-critical defects in any building we developed or substantially renovated, going back 30 years. We will complete any remedial works as quickly as possible, with no cost, and minimum disruption to tenants and local communities.
 

Training 

We run a comprehensive mandatory programme of health and safety training for all our employees and contingent workers, and this year we reviewed it to ensure it remains of high quality, relevant, and up to date. The training is designed to ensure our people are aware of risk, and competent in identifying and managing our organisational risks.

Our learning management system enables us to provide most of this training online, which improves where and when it can be completed. The system also simplifies booking and improves recordkeeping and reporting.