Conducting business in an ethical, socially responsible and environmentally sustainable manner must be embedded in every aspect of Olam’s business.
We recognise that how and what we do to achieve our success, is just as important as success itself. Upholding high standards of behaviour is fundamental to the values and culture of Olam, and it is central to earning and maintaining the trust of our investors, customers, suppliers, employees, communities and other stakeholders.
To strengthen our ethical and compliance standards, we have established the Olam Ethical Business Programme (EBP). This sets out the standards and behaviours firmly expected, which are detailed in the Olam Code of Conduct, as well as our specific policies.
Our Code of Conduct sets out our commitment to “do what is right”, founded on the values and everyday behaviours that build our distinctive culture and setting the standard for what it means to be part of Olam. The Code is available to download in multiple languages.
Our Policy sets out our commitment to ensure that all employees are treated with dignity and fairness, and to protecting the rights of staff in our workplaces. It is aligned to our ethos of Growing Responsibly and is in full compliance with the conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and United Nations Global Compact’s (UNGC) guiding principles on human rights and labour.
Our Anti-bribery and Corruption Policy reflects Olam’s commitment to uphold all applicable laws globally and the requirement that all our employees act professionally, fairly and with integrity in all their business dealings and relationships wherever they operate.
We aim to build long-term relationships with suppliers based on responsible business practices and trust. The Olam Supplier Code sets out our expectations to support our goal to purchase raw materials and products produced in a manner that is socially responsible, economically profitable and environmentally sustainable.
Our goal is for 100% of our priority product volumes (cashews, cocoa, coffee, cotton, hazelnut, palm, and rubber) to be covered by the Supplier Code by the end of 2020. At the end of FY19, 79% of volumes were covered under the Olam Supplier Code. This is slightly lower than in 2018 (82%) due to significantly increased cotton volumes following the start of operations in Tchad. Most priority products have attained > 90% OSC coverage.
Olam strives to uphold high standards of behaviour and compliance, and we encourage employees and anyone outside the company who suspects wrongdoing, or who has serious concerns, to raise a complaint through the Olam whistleblowing channel.
All reports are treated seriously and properly investigated so that appropriate actions, where necessary, can be taken. We do not tolerate retaliation against those who raise a complaint in good faith and the procedures set out in Whistleblowing Policy are designed to ensure anonymity and protection.
Anyone wishing to anonymously raise a complaint can do so via the Olam Whistleblowing channel.