Workers in supply chains

People are at the heart of our business. We respect labour norms and human rights and expect our suppliers to do the same. Because NS has an extensive procurement portfolio, we can potentially influence the working conditions of employees in our supplier chains.

Working conditions in supply chains

Material impacts, risks and opportunities

Impact

Every year, NS purchases goods and services for an average of 1.3 billion euros. In 2025, we had ties with over 3,000 suppliers in 28 countries. Due to the size of this procurement portfolio, NS is able to influence the working conditions of employees in its supply chains. It is not yet always clear exactly where potential risks and impacts lie, and it therefore remains important to gain insight into these risks and impacts. At the same time, our position also allows us to make a positive contribution through our purchasing practices and cooperation with suppliers to good working conditions, as well as to create opportunities for people with poor job prospects.

Policy, actions, indicators and targets

Policy

Socially Responsible Commissioning and Procurement (SRCP) Policy

Goods and services purchased by NS include trains, components, various staff and facility services, IT, construction, communication and energy. Our guiding principle when it comes to current and potential partners is that we jointly reduce negative impact and increase positive impact. The aim of our SRCP policy is to improve the sustainable impact of NS's supply chain by making concrete, sustainable choices when procuring products and services. NS's key sustainability objectives form the foundation for its SRCP policy and have been translated into the procurement process to achieve sustainable impact.

The Socially Responsible Commissioning and Procurement policy describes the procedure for each procurement process, from the wording of a contract to final order. In category plans, we take a strategic approach to sustainability, impact and opportunities for procurement categories. In tendering procedures, we include requirements or award criteria to reward suppliers of sustainable products and services. We also encourage sustainable choices when ordering products by clarifying impact and highlighting sustainable options.

Supply Chain Responsibility Policy

The purpose of our Supply Chain Responsibility Policy is to clarify what NS stands for in terms of Supply Chain Responsibility, as part of our SRCP policy. This policy requires each link in the supply chain to (1) respect working conditions and human rights, (2) reduce environmental impact and (3) conduct business with integrity and honesty.

Working conditions in supply chains are detailed in the first pillar of the Supply Chain Responsibility Policy: 'Respect for human rights and labour norms'. NS suppliers must respect fundamental human and workers’ rights as set out in the International Labour Organisation (ILO) guidelines and conventions and the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Supplier Code of Conduct

The Supplier Code of Conduct clearly sets out NS's requirements in the areas of human rights, labour norms, environment and sound operational practices. It is a practical translation of the chain responsibility policy and provides suppliers with clear standards for responsible business practices. In the event of violations, NS will engage with the supplier.

The Supplier Code of Conduct is a fixed annex in the set of tender documents. This set is also annexed to agreements concluded with suppliers. The most up-to-date Supplier Code of Conduct can also be found on the website nsprocurement.nl, which features information for suppliers wishing to do business with NS.

Actions

NS takes various actions to improve working conditions within its supply chains and to reduce risks. These actions focus on gaining insight into potential problem areas and collaborations in the supply chain. The key actions in 2025 were:

• Policy and policy documents: NS has made its Supply Chain Responsibility Policy public. Our expectations of suppliers in terms of working conditions, human rights, environment and integrity are therefore clearly set out.

• Supply chain impact analysis: a methodology has been determined for carrying out an impact analysis of direct suppliers ('tier 1'). The coming pilot year will be dedicated to identifying risks within the supply chain, so that priorities can then be established for the next steps.

• Internal due diligence processes: the Supplier Code of Conduct has been updated. In addition, internal due diligence processes are being further developed and implemented.

• Collaboration within the supply chain: Within Railsponsible, an initiative of railway operators and suppliers in the rail industry, NS is exploring how joint efforts can help to improve working conditions and safeguard human rights. Among other things, the collaboration focuses on sharing knowledge and resources, as well as on gathering information about supply chains.

• External complaints mechanism: work is underway to implement an external complaints mechanism for suppliers and other stakeholders. This will provide an official route to report possible violations of labour norms set out in the Supplier Code of Conduct.

• Social requirements and criteria in procurement processes: at NS, the Supplier Code of Conduct is used as a minimum requirement in tenders, with additional social criteria depending on the impact of the contract, in line with our SRCP policy. Specific criteria for good employment practices can be set in tenders to encourage suppliers to operate responsibly and pay attention to working conditions and international labour norms.

Indicators and targets

Social Return

With the indicator 'Social Return - sustainable jobs with suppliers', NS monitors the extent to which suppliers permanently deploy people with poor job prospects in work they perform for NS. The indicator shows how much employment is created through suppliers for this target group and the development of this employment over time.

The aim of this indicator is to increase the number of people with poor job prospects who work for NS through suppliers each year, so that more people with poor job prospects have a chance of obtaining sustainable employment with NS suppliers. WIZZR is a monitoring system we use to track agreements on Social Return with suppliers.

In 2025, the cumulative number of people with poor job prospects who gained work experience with our suppliers increased by 29 to 242. The increase is due to the inclusion of Social Return requirements in new tenders. One example is the use of apprenticeships for technical staff within NS's maintenance facilities. In addition, people with poor job prospects are actively involved in the daily cleaning of stations and trains.

Collaborations

European and international cooperation

NS participates in several partnerships to accelerate sustainability improvements in the supply chain, such as Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking (ERJU), Eurospec, Railsponsible, Round Table Rolling Stock, UIC and the International Association of Public Transport (UITP).

Code of Responsible Market Conduct

NS has signed the Code of Responsible Market Conduct for the cleaning industry. This code makes a moral appeal to all parties involved – clients, contractors, hirers, unions and intermediaries – to act in a socially responsible manner and to issue, accept and execute assignments with respect for the quality of service. The Code of Responsible Market Conduct therefore helps to improve outsourcing and hiring policies in the Netherlands, as well as encouraging sustainable and fair cooperation in the cleaning sector.