Project Wet Shanghai Ecolab

Human Rights

Ecolab is committed to enhancing the well-being of people and communities around the world and has established formal policies and procedures to help ensure human rights are respected across our global operations and supply chain.

Our Policy

We are committed to respecting international human rights standards, as defined by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights which include the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labor Organization (ILO) 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. We operate in alignment with the policies and procedures outlined in the SA8000 Standard which seek to protect basic human rights of workers. We aspire to create an inclusive and respectful work environment, establish decent working conditions and work to eliminate all forms of child and forced labor, discrimination, anti-corruption and bribery. We have regional programs in place to assess conformity with these policies and commitments. In addition, Ecolab undertakes compliance and ethics assessments to better understand human rights related risks.


  • Our Code of Conduct contains detailed human rights aspects relevant to our operations and requires Ecolab employees to report any potential Human Rights issues.
  • Our Supplier Code of Conduct sets out Ecolab's expectations for its suppliers in the areas of integrity, ethical and legal standards, compliance, confidentiality, gifts, gratuities and business meals, labor rights and employment law, health and safety, environment, anti-bribery and corruption, fair competition and supplied materials.
  • Our Anti-Human Trafficking Policy communicates expectations around Slavery and Human Trafficking.
  • Our Ethical Sourcing Standards communicate to our vendors and business partners our expectations on human rights and ethics and our standards for operation, including addressing implications of the UK Modern Slavery Act and the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act.
  • Our Conflict Minerals Policy supports human rights organizations to end violence and atrocities in Central Africa, specifically the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and nine adjoining countries.
  • As a company with a presence in South Africa, we support and subscribe to the Global Sullivan principles. We also adhere to Employment Equity and Black Economic Empowerment legislations in South Africa, which is designed to enforce the Global Sullivan principles.

For additional information, visit:

Go to Policies and PracticesGo to Supplier Policies

Disclosures
It is Ecolab’s policy to disclose any human rights controversies which may relate to child employment, female or minority rights infringement, or other issues pertaining to human rights as defined by the EEOC. No fines related to human rights issues have been levied against the company by any governmental organization in the past five years.

Integrity and Ethics

We are committed to upholding the highest legal and ethical standards, regardless of when and where we conduct business. Our Code of Conduct applies to all Ecolab officers, directors and employees and serves as a guide for how to act and make ethical decisions in compliance with the Code and the laws of the countries where we do business.

Our annual goal is to have 100% of global employees certify completion of a training course and read and acknowledge compliance with the Code of Conduct. In 2022, we had a 99% global completion rate.

Employees can report a Code concern to their manager; the Human Resources, Compliance or Law Departments; or Ecolab’s third-party Code of Conduct helpline or web reporting service which are utilized by internal and external reporters to convey concerns. All reports of potential Code violations are thoroughly investigated, and mitigation steps are put in place. We also have a whistleblower program which ensures that reports are investigated in a timely manner and consistent action is taken based on the results of the investigation.


Anti-Corruption

Ecolab’s anti-corruption policies and procedures are communicated through the annual Code of Conduct training. More detailed in-person anti-corruption training is provided to senior leaders in all regions and in high-risk locations.

As part of the company’s Internal Audit program, Ecolab conducts audits focused on operational processes, including testing controls relevant to the anti-corruption program. One anti-corruption specific audit was completed in 2022 alongside various assessments for all regions and business units and few significant risks were identified.