Our principles

Our Code of Ethics serves as a fundamental guideline for all of our business relationships and encompasses the areas of business integrity, respect and consideration for partners (including customers, employees, communities in which the Group operates) and the environment generally, suppliers and business partners, and shareholders.

Our Corporate Social Responsibility Guidelines set out responsibilities for each of our businesses in the following areas:

Responsibility towards customers

Product design and quality, staff training and customer service, availability and choice, after-sales service, combating counterfeit products

Responsibility towards employees

Employment & labour rights, reward, health & safety, equal opportunities & respect at work, employee participation, fair dealing, compliance and reporting

Responsibility towards the community

Charitable involvement, sponsorship activities, fostering new talent

Responsibility towards the environment

Facilities and operations, product stewardship, precautionary approach, application and compliance

Responsibility towards and obligations of business partners

Labour relationships and employment practices, responsible environmental management, industry specific issues, ethical business principles, supply chain relationships, application and compliance

Responsibility towards shareholders

Principles of corporate governance, transparency in financial reporting, proactive investor information policy, code of conduct for share dealings

Case Study: Cartier

This year, Cartier formalised its own Corporate Responsibility Policy setting out the company vision and principles with regard to social, environmental and ethical issues. This policy brings together existing policies relevant to corporate responsibility into a single document. The policy describes its core responsibility principles and covers both those activities that Cartier directly controls around the world together with the influence it can bring on its wider supply chain. The policy was distributed in September 2006 to all Cartier staff worldwide together with a personal message from the Cartier CEO on its importance to the company. Cartier has also hosted a number of supplier presentations and meetings to develop corporate responsibility awareness within the wider watch and jewellery supplier communities. In these sessions, Cartier provided an overview of its corporate responsibility policy, discussed industry issues and responsibilities together with a briefing on the establishment and purpose of the Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices (CRJP). Cartier is a Board and founding member of the CRJP and its corporate responsibility policy aligns with the Code of Practices set out by the Council. Cartier is the largest business in the Richemont group.