Revising Our Code
In 2006, we revised our Code to include additional provisions that we felt were important to strengthen our efforts in this area, based on our experience implementing and assessing compliance with the Code. Specifically, we added commitments on "community engagement and indigenous populations," "bribery and corruption" and "environment and sustainability." We also added explicit reference to – and our general endorsement of – several human rights frameworks and charters.
The revised Code reflects our increased understanding of the broad set of issues that fall under the umbrella of human rights. In particular, it seeks to articulate our commitments on several key issues that extend beyond the fenceline of our facilities and those of our suppliers – where we have focused the majority of our initial efforts on human rights – to include our impacts on the broader communities in which we operate. It is one of the key steps we have taken in our effort to take a more integrated approach to managing human rights and community issues.
The revised Code was approved and was rolled out to employees and suppliers as a formal Policy Letter in 2007.
