Value chain and society
Human rights are fundamental to Umicore
We want Umicore to be a leader in providing and creating material-based solutions to contribute to fundamental improvements in the quality of life. Human rights within the Umicore organization are enshrined in The Umicore Way which is the cornerstone of everything we do at Umicore, representing our organization’s values. All Umicore personnel commit to upholding these values under the following key statement:
“We uphold fundamental human rights and respect those rights in conducting our operations throughout the world. We engage with the communities around our operations and communicate transparently with our stakeholders”
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Our success is measured in our ability to provide environmental and ethical sourcing benefits of scarce raw materials and to deliver products and services that create sustainable value for our customers and society.
Umicore’s Horizon 2020 objectives reflect a proactive view of our role in the overall value chain.
Upstream, we have placed greater emphasis on the management of key raw materials supply requirements. We have also sought to ensure that Umicore’s efforts in the field of ethical sourcing can generate a competitive edge for the company.
Downstream, we have a strong portfolio of products and services that offer specific sustainability advantages to our customers and society. We use our long-standing and growing experience in ethical sourcing and sustainably managing raw materials to advocate for better practices.
On 17 October 2019, Umicore and IndustriALL Global Union renewed their Global framework Agreement on Sustainable Development for 4 years. The agreement reaffirms Umicore’s commitment to sustainable development, embracing economic, environmental and social objectives. More specifically, it covers human rights, including collective bargaining and equal opportunities, safe and healthy working conditions, environmental and supply chain matters and digital transformation. All parties have undertaken to pursue the constructive dialogue they initiated in 2007 to ensure successful implementation of the agreement.
The Umicore Way
To ensure our activities are conducted in line with the Umicore Way, we have adopted policies including the Umicore Code of Conduct, Human Rights Policy, and our Sustainable Procurement Charter. Umicore fully supports the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We are committed to uphold fundamental human rights and respect those rights in conducting our operations throughout the world. This commitment applies to all Umicore employees, all subsidiaries and joint ventures where we have operational control and all subcontractors working on our sites.
Our success depends on a relationship of trust and professionalism with employees, commercial partners, shareholders, government authorities and the public. These principles are embedded in our Code of Conduct which sets the framework for ethical behavior and respect of the rule of law, including regarding anticorruption and bribery. It incorporates whistle blowing procedures (Integrity Hotline) and supports our commitment to equal opportunities and diversity. All employees have access to, and are required to comply with, the Code of Conduct and The Umicore Way.
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