7 December 2020

We were appalled by the AP’s reports of human rights abuses at certain palm oil plantations in Southeast Asia. The mistreatment of workers is never acceptable and we require all our suppliers to abide by a Code of Conduct that commits them (and their subcontractors) to respect human rights and treat employees with dignity and respect. We will not work with any company that fails to uphold these fundamental responsibilities and we verify suppliers’ conduct through audits and assessments with recognized supply chain experts and platforms, including SEDEX and EcoVadis.

Coty is also a member of the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), supporting efforts to drive sustainability and ethical standards across the supply chain. However, we recognize there is more to be done. We will continue to explore new ways to better meet the challenge of sourcing sustainable palm oil derivatives and improving transparency and traceability. As part of this process, in 2021 we will publish the full list of our direct palm oil derivative suppliers.