2021 UNIVERSAL REGISTRATION DOCUMENT

4. L’Oréal’s social, environmental and societal responsibility

4.3.4. Policy to prevent corruption

Wishing to act in all circumstances in accordance with the ethical principles it has set itself and to comply with the laws and regulations in force in all the countries where it operates, the L’Oréal Group applies a zero tolerance policy in terms of corruption.

A long-standing commitment at the highest level of the Company

L’Oréal has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact since 2003 and supports the fight against corruption.

The Group is committed to complying with the United Nations Convention against Corruption of 31 October 2003 and to applying all applicable laws, in particular the Sapin 2 law in France.

L’Oréal is a member of the International Chamber of Commerce Anti-Corruption Commission and a member of Transparency International France.

This commitment is supported at the highest level of the Company by its Chief Executive Officer, who renews L’Oréal’s commitment to the United Nations Global Compact every year.

The involvement of everyone in preventing corruption
The Executive Committee Regularly reviews the corruption prevention policy presented to the Board of Directors.
The Chief Ethics, Risk and Compliance Officer Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Ethics, Risk & Compliance Officer is responsible for designing and monitoring the corruption prevention programme and relies on the global network of internal control managers for its implementation. He leads the specific risk mapping.
Country Managers Country Managers ensure the correct deployment of the corruption prevention programme and its compliance.
Employees

Employees apply the corruption prevention policy in the context of their activities. If they have any doubts, they may contact their line management, their Legal Director, their Administrative and Financial Director, their Internal Control Manager, their Ethics Correspondent and, ultimately, the Chief Ethics, Risk & Compliance Officer, if they have any questions about respecting this commitment.

The aim is to ensure that all the situations encountered are thoroughly examined and, where applicable, that appropriate steps can be taken.
L’Oréal’s Code of Ethics and practical corruption prevention guides

L’Oréal’s Code of Ethics publicly states a zero-tolerance policy on corruption which applies to all employees, directors and corporate officers, Directors and members of the Executive and Management Committees of the Group and its subsidiaries worldwide. L’Oréal’s Code of Ethics was updated in 2014. Available in 45 languages, and in French and English Braille, it is distributed to all employees worldwide.

L’Oréal has also published a more detailed corruption prevention policy that is available on its website, loreal.com

With regard to employees, the Group also has other reference documents for the purpose of specifying the practices to be adopted and preventing corruption:

  • Specific corruption prevention Guide: rolled out throughout the Group as a whole since 2013 and complemented in 2018, it covers the relationships with each of L’Oréal’s stakeholders, in particular with the Public Authorities and Intermediaries. This practical Guide is intended to specify the Group’s standards and to help employees handle situations that they might encounter in the performance of their duties. It reaffirms L’Oréal’s corruption prevention policy which was approved by the Chief Executive Officer and the Executive Committee and presented to the Board of Directors.

     
    This policy posted online on L’Oréal’s website (www.loreal.com) restates the following principles:

    • the zero-tolerance policy on corruption;
    • the prohibition of facilitation payments;
    • the prohibition of all contributions to political parties or politicians with the aim of obtaining a commercial advantage;
    • the prohibition on giving and accepting gifts and/or invitations that might influence or be perceived as influencing a business relationship;
    • communication of the commitment to preventing corruption to the Group’s business partners; and
    • respect for these commitments by intermediaries representing L’Oréal, particularly in countries where there is a high risk of corruption.
  • Employee guide – Gifts/Invitations: distributed in 2014 on a Group-wide basis to specify the rules in this area, it is now integrated within the specific corruption prevention Guide;
  • Employee Guide – Management of intermediaries with public authorities: distributed in 2018 to the relevant personnel to specify the rules in this area; and
  • “The Way We Buy”: a practical and ethical guide to govern relationships between suppliers and all employees involved in purchasing decisions. This document has been translated into 12 languages.