Commitment to business conduct

Our company founder William Wallace Cargill believed a reputation for integrity was a key business differentiator. Cargill has earned and maintained a reputation for ethical business conduct ever since. Our business conduct is governed by our Guiding Principles: 

1. We will comply with the laws of all countries to which we are subject.
2. We will not knowingly assist any third party to violate any law of any country, by creating false documents or any other means means.
3. We will not pay or receive bribes or participate in any other unethical, fraudulent or corrupt practice.
4. We will always honor all business obligations that we undertake with absolute integrity.
5. We will keep our business records in a manner that accurately reflects the true nature of our business transactions.
6. Our managers and supervisors will be responsible that employees, consultants and contract workers under their supervision are familiar with applicable law and company policies and comply with them. Further, they will be responsible for preventing, detecting and reporting any violations of law or our policies.
7. Our employees will not become involved in situations that create a conflict of interest between the company and the employee.

Every employee around the world is expected to exercise good judgment consistent with these values from the quality and safety of our products to dealings in our supply chains.

Commitment to the environment

We believe in protecting and conserving the environment. We are developing ways to reduce our environmental impact throughout our global operations and to help conserve natural resources.

We have developed management systems and policies to ensure environmental compliance, prevent pollution and continually improve performance on criteria relevant to our business and operations. We have ambitious “beyond compliance” goals for improvements in energy efficiency, carbon emissions reduction and water management.

In addition to our efforts within our business, we also partner with others to reduce the environmental impacts of the supply chains in which we participate.

Commitment to people

We strive to create a workplace where employees feel valued and are given opportunities to contribute regardless of gender, race, nationality, religion or sexual orientation.

We are committed to treating people with dignity and respect. Hiring, motivating, developing and retaining the right people is critical to our ability to deepen relationships with customers and fulfill our promises to the communities we serve. We pay regular and competitive wages and appropriate benefits.

A clear demonstration of our respect for our employees is our unyielding commitment to safety. Our goal is to send people home safely every day.

In the broader community, we are committed to respecting human rights, eliminating employment discrimination and illegal labor practices, and respecting freedom of association. We do not accept or support the use of illegal, abusive, forced, or child labor within our operations, anywhere in the world.

Commitment to the community

We work together with a diverse group of partners to support responsible economic development and to bring positive, measurable improvements to the communities where we live and work.

Our businesses and our people provide support by contributing time, talent and financial resources, as well as promoting good civic behavior and dialogue between stakeholder groups. We are committed to contributing 2 percent of our global consolidated pre-tax earnings, based on a three-year trailing average, to programs that are focused on improving nutrition and health, education and environmental stewardship.

We recognize our continued success depends on the growth and health of our communities and partners. We are committed to investing in, engaging with and respecting the cultures of the communities where we live and work to promote sustainable and responsible economic development, to create growth that improves living standards and promote vibrant, stable communities.