Our Sustainability Commitment is a set of requirements our partners must observe in order to do business with us
Sustainability Commitment
Sustainability is an integral part of being a successful business and we always aim to act in an ethical, transparent and responsible way. Naturally, we expect our business partners to do the same. Our Sustainability Commitment is a set of requirements that applies to everybody we do business with and is used by all our brands. It covers:
- Transparency and collaboration
- Supply chain due diligence
- Impact on people
- Impact on the environment
The commitment is based on internationally recognised standards and follows the law as a minimum. However, we always strive to go beyond this base level.
Updated Commitment
Since we launched our first Code of Conduct in 1997, we have continually updated the requirements to strengthen our standards and address the growing scope of sustainability issues. Our latest update in 2022 included:
- A more explicit commitment to OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and Due Diligence Guidance on Responsible Business Conduct.
- A clear commitment to the Paris Agreement and the 1.5° target.
- A more robust requirement for our business partners to carry out their own human rights and environmental due diligence in their supply chains.
- Different versions for the different types of business in our value chain, for example manufacturers, logistics or transport. This means we can better address the specific risks of each individual industry.
Suppliers’ compliance is assessed via our Sustainability Impact Partnership Programme (SIPP) and, if needed, we offer support to raise their environmental and social performance.
History of our Sustainability Commitment
- 1997
We introduced our first Code of Conduct that set out how we expected our suppliers and their supply chain to act in terms of working conditions and environmental practices. - 2016
The Code of Conduct was replaced by our Sustainability Commitment, which covered more topics and more business relationships. - 2022
We updated the Sustainability Commitment to widen its scope and to reflect updates to legislation.
The commitment is reviewed on a yearly basis.
If you would like to raise a concern or notify us of a suspected breach of the Sustainability Commitment, or any other policy, please report it to our Speak Up! Channel.