The subject of human rights encompasses a range of topics broad in scope and immense in gravity.  A tremendous amount of thought, sacrifice and passion has been brought to bear on the subject.  While governments and non-governmental organizations have a primary role in protecting human rights, corporations have an important role as well. In our view, our role should focus on where we can make a difference in our business operations, with our direct suppliers, and in the broader community.

Our core belief is that people should be treated fairly and with dignity, which we demonstrate in the following ways:

Our Own Operations.  Our corporate Code of Conduct sets out 10 rules that guide everything we do.  The third rule states that employees will “Treat People Fairly.”  We implement the code through detailed policies that provide guidelines for our employees in certain areas.  In addition, we have a robust Compliance and Integrity Program to help us train and monitor in these areas. To learn more, visit our Corporate Responsibility Guidelines.   

Our Direct Suppliers.  We want to work with suppliers whose own standards of conduct align with ours. To learn more, visit our Corporate Responsibility Expectations for Direct Suppliers.

The Broader Community.  Beyond careful oversight of our own operations and our influence over direct suppliers, we are working to address systemic issues.  For example, we have embraced certification schemes like Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and 4C for agricultural products like cocoa and coffee beans – and have continued to increase the volume of certified beans we purchase.  We also work and invest with many valued partners like, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GTZ), the International Cocoa Initiative, the World Cocoa Foundation, and our partners within the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership, on projects to help improve the lives of farmers and their families.

You can read about our sustainable agricultural activities by visiting Nourishing Our Agricultural Supply Chain. We are also involved in a number of charitable endeavors addressing malnutrition, hunger, and emergency responses to natural disasters.

We encourage you to review our Responsibility Report for a more detailed summary of our activities and charitable endeavors.