This statement outlines our actions and activities in 2021 regarding efforts to combat slavery and human trafficking within our business and supply chain and is provided to comply with the Modern Slavery Act.
Our Business
Discovery, Inc. is a global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year and has category leadership across deeply loved content genres around the world. Available in 220 countries and territories and nearly 50 languages, Discovery is a platform innovator, reaching viewers on all screens, including TV Everywhere; products such as the GO portfolio of apps; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as discovery+, Food Network Kitchen and MotorTrend OnDemand digital-first and social content from Group Nine Media; a landmark natural history and factual content partnership with the BBC; and a strategic alliance with PGA TOUR to create the international home of golf. Discovery’s portfolio of premium brands includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, and the multi-platform JV with Chip and Joanna Gaines, Magnolia Network, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe.
As of December 31, 2021, Discovery employed a little over 11,000 people globally, of whom more than 1,000 were based in the UK.
Policies
Discovery is committed to operate with integrity and high ethical standards in all our business activities. We have a Code of Ethics that all Discovery employees, executives, officers and directors must adhere to; this sets out the ethical conduct required of all those who work for the company. Also, we have established the Business Partner Statement of Ethics ensuring that our business partners (including suppliers and anyone who provides products, services or personnel to Discovery) adopt the same high values and expectations of ethical business practices as we do as a company. Under the principles of the Statement of Ethics, our suppliers must adhere to the same high standards that Discovery sets itself in relation to fair and ethical business and employment practices. We recognise and respect all labour and employment laws, including health, safety and the environment and those combating improper discrimination, child and forced labour.
We strive to hold our employees and business partners including suppliers to act with ethical and legal standards of business integrity. To ensure that modern slavery is not occurring within our supply chains, we make reasonable efforts to learn their reputation and work practices including legal compliance and respect for human rights. We will act and discontinue relationships with suppliers and other business partners who fail to meet our high standards for ethical business conduct as expressed in our Code and Statement of Ethics.
Discovery offers its EthicsPoint hotline to employees, customers, suppliers and members of the general public with a mechanism, including on an anonymous basis (where allowed by law), to report concerns about potential ethical, legal or regulatory violations. Discovery will investigate allegations and take appropriate corrective actions.
Supply Chain and Corporate Operations
As a global media company, Discovery’s core business is in the production and distribution of media content. Our content supply chains are diverse and include commissioned content created by production companies and finished content licensed from distribution and production companies. For that reason, our business and that of most of our suppliers operate in areas where the roles being performed are largely technical and/or professional, and the risk of modern slavery and human trafficking is low. Additionally, we have a smaller supply chain that supports our licensing business and creates consumer branded products.
We are committed to acting ethically and with transparency in all our business relationships and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to try to ensure that modern slavery and human trafficking is not taking place anywhere in our supply chains. We take a zero-tolerance approach to slavery and human trafficking. We are not aware of, nor do we have any information to suggest that any inappropriate labour conditions are present in our supply chains. We apply stringent and consistent standards when dealing with suppliers around the world.
Risk Mitigation
In 2021, we continued to build on our existing processes to identify and mitigate modern slavery risk in the supply chain.
We established Ethical Sourcing and Compliance Guidelines for our internal teams setting forth the ethical standards and due diligence requirements for business partners who are engaged in the production of Discovery branded goods. Additionally, Discovery has enhanced its contract templates to include Product Safety Guidelines and Statement on Child and Forced Labour in our contracts with licensees and manufacturers of our branded goods ensuring compliance with laws regarding health & safety, environment, forced labour, human trafficking and slavery. These enhancements strengthen and improve our processes with licensees, vendors and manufacturers who are part of the Discovery supply chain.
Training
During 2021, we held training sessions on best practices for supply chain visibility focused on auditing & due diligence requirements, technology and data resources, and identifying high-risk suppliers of branded or manufactured products. Attendees included representatives from Discovery’s Legal, Government Affairs, Licensing and Consumer Products, Facilities and Procurement teams. These sessions emphasised the importance of supply chain visibility for the Company and Discovery’s commitment to ethical practices with its business partners.
We will continue to strengthen our risk mitigation processes set out above and address any findings.
This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes the Discovery group’s slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending 31 December 2021. The Discovery group entities covered by this statement are: Discovery Communications Europe Limited; Discovery Corporate Services Limited; and Dplay Entertainment Limited.