Ethical Business
Guiding our organisation responsibly
For Nestlé to be successful over time, we must earn the trust of our employees, consumers, customers, suppliers, shareholders and wider society.commitments.
This depends on us acting with integrity at all times and upholding our commitments.
The right to Speak Up
We provide Nestlé employees and all other external stakeholders with a dedicated communication channel, Speak Up, for reporting any non-compliance concerns they encounter – from unfair treatment to safety issues, bribery and corruption, human rights abuses and anything else that worries them. Speak Up is independently operated by a third party to ensure anonymity when requested.
Every allegation is professionally and confidentially handled. In 2022, 18 non-compliance complaints were received under the ‘Speak Up’ channels and through other means, all of which have been duly investigated, and where necessary, actions have been taken.
Integrity is embedded in our business practices
We conduct business in an ethical and principle-based manner, even in the absence of applicable regulatory requirements. Where our own principles and policies differ from local legislation, we apply whichever is the higher standard. Our commitment to integrity, fairness and authenticity are enshrined in our purpose and values, our Corporate Business Principles and our Code of Business Conduct.
The Nestlé Corporate Business Principles are mandatory for all Nestlé employees and are integrated into our business planning, operations, performance reviews and audit processes.
These principles are continually reviewed and updated, based on ethics, integrity and a ‘doing the right thing for the right reason’ mindset.
The Nestlé Code of Business Conduct specifies certain non-negotiable minimum standards in key areas of employee behavior. These areas include integrity, compliance with laws, conflicts of interests, antitrust and fair dealing, bribery, corruption (UNGC Principle 10), discrimination and harassment, and accurate reporting and accounting.