P&G Human Rights Statement
Throughout our history of over 180 years, our business has grown and changed but our fundamental values have endured. Our customers, consumers, employees, and business partners know that we do what we say, and we say what we mean. This reputation of trust and integrity, built over time and rebuilt every day, is what sets us apart. Our Purpose, Values and Principles (PVPs), are the foundation of our Company.
Respect and Compliance
At P&G, respect for Human Rights is fundamental to the way we manage our business. We support the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights which respects and honours the principles of internationally recognised human rights consisting of:
- Those rights expressed in the International Bill of Human Rights (i.e., Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and Civil & Political Rights.) and
- The principles concerning fundamental rights as set out in the International Labor Organization (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
We recognise that it is the sovereign state’s duty to protect against human rights abuses by establishing and upholding appropriate laws and policies. We comply with all laws applicable to our operations around the world. We also recognise that some states do not have adequate legal and regulatory frameworks or enforcement mechanisms or have laws that conflict with these internationally recognised human rights. Wherever this is the case, P&G will always try to do the right thing by respecting human rights consistently across our global operations. We expect these same commitments to be shared by our business partners and we strongly encourage our business partners to share these same expectations with their suppliers.
Respecting Our Employees
At P&G, we strive to promote a work environment of confidence and trust. Our commitment to our employees includes our Employee Rights Policy which upholds our PVPs and respects International Labor Standards. Our Worldwide Business Conduct Manual provides employees with clear guidance on specific situations they may face and directs them where to go when they have questions or concerns. Our employees hold themselves and one another accountable for operating with trust and integrity, for stepping up as leaders and owners of the business and for competing honorably with a passion to win. P&G is committed to creating a work environment that fosters open communication and supports employees in reporting potential violations. Retaliation of any kind is inconsistent with our values of integrity and trust and simply will not be tolerated.
Respecting Our Consumers
P&G’s purpose “to provide branded products and services of superior quality and value that improve the lives of the world’s consumers, now and for generations to come” inspires everything we do and inspires our human rights policy. This purpose guides our strategic choices, leads to bigger and better innovation, drives brilliant execution and compels us to operate responsibly and ethically, as we create products and services that improve people’s lives. Our respect for the human rights of our consumers includes our commitments addressed in our Product Safety policy and our Product Quality programme.
Respecting Our Communities
P&G has a long-standing reputation of being a good corporate citizen and neighbor in all the places around the world where we do business. We respect the human rights of all persons in the communities in which we conduct business as well as recognize that we must be responsible for environmental stewardship and using resources wisely. Our commitments to these communities are addressed in our Environmental Quality, Water, Sustainable Forestry, Wood Pulp and Palm Oil polices. We strive to be socially responsible in the use of Company resources for the long-term benefit of society. P&G actively supports our employee efforts to make a difference in their local communities. We are particularly committed to improving the lives of children in need around the world, including working to prevent childhood disease. We support the arts and education. We lend a hand to those in need, and provide help when disaster strikes.
Commitment to our Supply Chain
Our Business Partner Guidelines establish clear expectations of our direct business partners, including an expectation to respect internationally recognised human rights, comply with all applicable laws and conduct their business ethically and responsibly. We will not knowingly condone or contribute to adverse human rights impacts caused by the actions of our business partners. When we become aware of an adverse impact, we will engage to be part of the solution to address the issue or dilemma, including seeking to prevent or mitigate the adverse impact.
Due Diligence, Remediation and Communication
We work to promote sustainable practices, support value creation and assess both actual and potential human rights adverse impacts in our direct operations as well as our supply chain. We strive to implement and improve systems in business relationships across our supply chain in order to mitigate the risk for impacted rights holders. We openly engage with our business partners, social partners and other stakeholders to identify areas of concern and develop solutions where there are risks of infringements.
Engaging Stakeholders and Human Rights Experts
We acknowledge that respecting human rights is an enormous challenge and progress will be made through a journey of collaboration and engagement with our stakeholders. Thus we seek meaningful consultation with important external stakeholders, including critics and recognised human rights thought leaders. We strive to work cooperatively with governments and civil society organisations to make progress in addressing issues. We seek to understand the nature and context of the evolving human rights journey and how we can make a difference.