English
Policies and Positions
Our work is guided by a commitment to our purpose and values. Because the work we do matters, and how we do it matters, too. Our ethical reputation is one of our greatest assets and provides a solid base upon which we build trust with our customers and communities. Ecolab’s Code of Conduct is foundational to our commitment to upholding the highest legal and ethical standards, regardless of when and where we conduct business.
Additional Policies and Positions That Guide Our Operations
Ecolab is committed to fully utilizing alternative methods of safety assessment testing in product development to minimize the use of animals in such assessments.
The Ecolab Anti-Corruption Policy reinforces the commitment to ensure compliance with all anti-corruption laws, including the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), the UK Bribery Act 2010 and anticorruption laws in effect within the countries where Ecolab does business.
Ecolab complies with applicable labor and employment law and does not discriminate. Our recruitment, hiring, compensation, promotion, transferring, training, corrective action and termination practices are based exclusively on an individual’s qualifications and ability to perform the job. To maintain a work environment that is free from discrimination, all employment-related decisions must be made without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, disability, marital status, veteran status or other personal characteristics or conditions protected by national, state or local law.
To help ensure an environment of mutual respect, Ecolab does not tolerate any form of harassment or other intimidating behavior, including physical, emotional or verbal abuse.
Violating this policy subjects an employee to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.
Ecolab has a long-standing, zero-tolerance policy prohibiting trafficking-related activities.
Global Anti-Human Trafficking Policy in English
Global Anti-Human Trafficking Policy in Arabic
Global Anti-Human Trafficking Policy in Chinese (Simplified)
Global Anti-Human Trafficking Policy in Dutch
Global Anti-Human Trafficking Policy in French
Global Anti-Human Trafficking Policy in German
Global Anti-Human Trafficking Policy in Indonesian
Global Anti-Human Trafficking Policy in Italian
Global Anti-Human Trafficking Policy in Japanese
Global Anti-Human Trafficking Policy in Portuguese (Brazil)
Global Anti-Human Trafficking Policy in Russian
Ecolab’s sustainability efforts support protecting biodiversity by preserving quantity and quality of water in watersheds in which we and our customers operate and mitigating the impacts of climate change as critical factors in preserving endangered species.
Ecolab is committed to continuous efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in its own operations. Ecolab addresses climate change impact as criteria in its innovation process and actively works with customers on their climate change mitigation strategies by providing products, services and data to support these efforts.
Ecolab supports programs and initiatives that protect and serve people and the environment in the communities where our employees live and work. Through corporate giving, grants from the Ecolab Foundation, product donations and employee volunteerism, Ecolab is advancing its goals to enable communities around the world to thrive as well as support vital ecosystems.
Ecolab supports human rights organizations to end violence and atrocities in Central Africa, specifically the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and nine adjoining countries: Republic of Congo, Central Africa Republic, South Sudan, Zambia, Angola, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda.
Our Global Privacy Policy outlines how Ecolab uses and safeguards personal data, periodically reviews security measures and ensures that we are compliant with the data privacy laws and regulations of the jurisdictions in which we operate, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
We believe that diverse and inclusive teams are high-performing teams – and we are committed to helping everyone at Ecolab unleash their own potential to innovate, create and drive growth.
As a global leader, we believe we have a responsibility to advance equity – both within our organization and in our communities where we live, work and raise our families. Ecolab is working to increase our focus on educating and equipping our teams globally, to build understanding, address inequality and bring our associates together in solidarity to listen, learn and grow together.
Ecolab is committed to transparency and has chosen to publicly share our Employer Information Report (EEO-1) — a compliance survey mandated by U.S. federal statute and submitted to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Our purpose — to make the world cleaner, safer and healthier — is rooted in a fundamental belief in working together to integrate diverse perspectives, challenging ourselves and doing what’s right. As we continue to make progress toward both our short- and long-term goals to increase the number of women and people of color in management and above roles, the EEO-1 Report will serve as a snapshot of our U.S. workforce demographics based on standardized race/ethnicity, gender and job categories.
Ecolab’s suppliers are held to global fundamental principles of human dignity. Our Ethical Sourcing Standards are the foundation of our global supply chain initiative requiring direct suppliers to protect the health, safety and human rights of their associates.
Suppliers must meet standards regarding forced labor, child labor, health and safety, fair pay and harassment in the workplace. We require that our suppliers identify and act swiftly to eliminate any unacceptable conditions or practices in their facilities. We will not do business with suppliers who do not support the fundamental principles of human dignity and rights of workers to fair and equitable treatment.
We base our supplier requirements on international standards including the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the International Labor Organization (ILO) 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. Additionally, the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act of 2010 (SB 657), effective January 1, 2012, requires certain companies to disclose information regarding their efforts to eradicate slavery and human trafficking from their supply chains. The United Kingdom’s Modern Slavery Act, adopted in 2015, requires similar disclosures of certain companies doing business in the United Kingdom.
Ecolab’s products and operations are regulated by numerous different laws globally, including the European Union (EU) Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) regulations in our European products and operations. In addition to eliminating SVHC listed chemicals in current products, Ecolab’s chemical ingredient policy prohibits developing new products containing SVHCs.
Ecolab respects the principles of freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining in accordance with applicable national law. We adhere to applicable national laws that govern employee rights to exercise freedom of association and collective bargaining.
Ecolab requires that business decisions be made based on fair and objective criteria and not on an offer or request to improperly influence a business decision. This position statement sets forth Ecolab’s requirements around giving and receiving gifts, travel, entertainment, and meals in accordance with the Code of Conduct.
Ecolab is committed to upholding human rights globally. We believe in enhancing the well-being of people and communities around the world. The human rights of our employees and those that we do business with are respected across Ecolab’s global operations and we are committed to respecting the international human rights standards defined by the United Nations Global Compact and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Ecolab’s Code of Conduct is the foundation of our success. We are committed to upholding the highest legal and ethical standards, regardless of when and where we conduct business. We expect all employees to make good decisions on behalf of Ecolab and do their jobs ethically and in compliance with the Code and the laws of the countries where we do business. And the supplier code of conduct sets the expectations for Ecolab suppliers to do business with Ecolab.
Certain state and local jurisdictions permit corporations to make direct contributions to candidates, party committees and ballot measures. The Ecolab Political Contribution Policy provides for an approval process for such contributions by a committee of executives and annual review of the policy and political contributions by the Governance Committee of the Ecolab Board of Directors.
We are committed to safety in our operations and developing products that are safe for our customers and their intended application. Ecolab’s product safety and stewardship program is foundational to the commitment to developing products and solutions that solve customer problems, while protecting the environment and promoting human health.
Ecolab’s product sustainability program establishes the basic principles to ensure human health and environmental sustainability is embedded into every aspect of the lifecycle of our products, in concert with our product safety and stewardship programs. Ecolab is committed to reducing human and environmental exposure to hazards and promoting sustainable design through a holistic engineering approach which includes chemistry composition, format, packaging, dispensing and digital control systems.
Ecolab is committed to excellence in safety, health and environmental (SH&E) practices and performance across our global operations. Our commitment extends past our own operations to our suppliers, our contractors and is foundational to our work with our customers. We seek to do business with customers, suppliers, vendors, contractors and other business associates and partners who share our high standards of ethical business behavior and SH&E best practices. Ecolab is committed to developing, setting and achieving time-bound safety, health and environmental related targets or goals.
We believe that the best partners are diverse and inclusive, helping us solve complex problems and support the demands of our business. Additionally, driving our partner Marketplace to equitably reflect our diverse society benefits the communities in which we live, work and serve.
Sustainability is at the core of our business strategy. Ecolab is committed to delivering innovative solutions that help companies around the world achieve exceptional business results while minimizing environmental and social impact.
The tax we pay is an integral part of our positive economic and social impact and supports the advancement of the countries in which we operate. We are committed to complying with tax laws and regulations in each jurisdiction in which we do business and are guided by appropriate international standards.
Ecolab aims to conduct business with the utmost integrity, and to act in all circumstances as a responsible global corporate citizen. As a global company Ecolab is committed to comply with all export, import, economic sanctions, and antiboycott laws of the United States, and similar laws in countries outside the United States where Ecolab conducts business.
Ecolab believes the right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy and that voting should be safe and accessible for all voters. In accordance with this philosophy, Ecolab encourages employees to fulfill their civic responsibilities by exercising the privilege of voting in elections.
This policy establishes minimum waste management requirements and ensure responsible and legal practices while reducing risk to Ecolab.
We actively seek to improve the use of water resources within our own operations and within the watersheds in which we operate. Our commitment extends beyond our operations to partnerships with thought leaders and leading organizations that support advancement of responsible use of the world’s limited freshwater resources to the benefit of nature, communities and business.
Ecolab’s ability to attract and retain the world’s most capable talent, while deepening our relationship with existing employees, is critical to managing our operations efficiently and effectively and delivering innovative solutions for customers. We invest in professional training and development, help our employees create personal development plans to achieve their career goals and conduct regular employee engagement surveys.