Press information

Corporate Responsibility:

Osram signs up to the UN Global Compact

Global cooperation on social responsibility for people and the environment
Osram has signed up to the Global Compact initiated by UN General Secretary Kofi Annan. The company is committed to behaving responsibly towards people and the environment throughout the world and is formalising this commitment by signing up to the Global Compact. At the same time, Osram is including all its major suppliers worldwide in this shared responsibility on the basis of its own code of conduct.
 
Code of conduct for suppliers worldwide
By signing up to the Global Compact, Osram is bringing more than just itself to the party. Above and beyond its internal rules and regulations, a binding code of conduct has been in force since December 2004. This defines the requirements that the company expects all its suppliers and service providers throughout the world to follow. The code essentially comprises the following five requirements:

• Conduct within the law at all times
• Respect for the basic rights of employees, in particular non-discrimination at the workplace
• Prohibition of child labour and respect for and recognition of the rights of children
• Safety of employees, in other words the acceptance of responsibility for their safety and the provision of measures to prevent accidents
• Respect for the environment and constant improvement of measures to protect the environment.

The company expects its suppliers in turn to ensure that their own suppliers comply with these requirements. The aim is to make social responsibility a reality along the entire production chain.
 
Achieving sustained economic growth together
The Global Compact was set up in the year 2000 as an alliance between the United Nations and companies, associations, communities, trade unions, scientific institutions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The Global Compact seeks to improve the long-term social relationships that companies have with people and the environment. The vision is to create an economy that meets the challenges of globalisation. 1700 companies worldwide are committed to behaving responsibly towards society in all their activities.
 
They support ten principles, including respect for human rights, non-discrimination at the workplace, abolition of forced and child labour, respect for the environment and elimination of corruption.
 
An important aspect of Osram’s membership is the possibility of working together with other members on various topics and exchanging experience directly with them.

Press contact:

OSRAM

Christian Bölling
Tel: +49-89-6213-2597
Fax: +49-89-6213-3457
Email: c.boelling@osram.com