United Nations Global Compact: L’Oréal recognised as a Global Compact Lead company - L'Oréal Finance: Annual Report 2018
2018 Annual Report

United Nations Global Compact: L’Oréal recognised as a Global Compact LEAD company

L’Oréal has been a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact since 2003. Each year it has renewed its commitment relating to fundamental issues such as human rights, working conditions, the environment and the fight against corruption.

The United Nations Global Compact, for more sustainable and inclusive companies

A framework for voluntary commitment that provides international terms of reference and a platform for actions and interactions, the Global Compact is the largest initiative worldwide in the field of social responsibility, with more than 13,000 participants in 170 countries. In addition to its Ten Principles of Corporate Sustainability, the Global Compact actively encourages companies to sign up to 17 major new Sustainable Development Goals, unanimously adopted by the 193 member states of the United Nations in September 2015. The goals include ending extreme poverty, fighting inequality and injustice, and protecting the planet between now and 2030.
L’Oréal’s strong commitment to ethics, its sustainable development programme “Sharing Beauty With All”, its policy against corruption and its diversity policy, together with the philanthropy efforts made with the support of the L’Oréal Corporate Foundation, mean that the Group is already strongly committed to achieving 14 of the 17 goals set by the United Nations.

L’Oréal, Global Compact LEAD

In September 2018, L’Oréal was named as a Global Compact LEAD company, a distinction reserved for participants firmly engaged in the world’s largest international corporate sustainable development initiative. This demonstrates the ongoing commitment of L’Oréal to the United Nations Global Compact and its ten principles of corporate responsibility. L’Oréal participates in several theme-based working groups, particularly on universal health coverage, project breakthrough and sustainable development goals. Participation in these groups is one of the criteria of eligibility for the LEAD company distinction.
Furthermore, L’Oréal has been part of the United Nations Global Compact 100 Index since its establishment in 2013.

Global Compact commitments

Since 2014, L’Oréal has been a signatory of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP), an initiative of United Nations Women and the UN Global Compact which promotes gender equality and greater autonomy for women in the workplace and in the community. In 2016, Jean-Paul Agon, President and CEO of L’Oréal, received the UN CEO Leadership Award for Women’s Empowerment Principles, in recognition of his achievements in promoting gender equality.

In 2018, L’Oréal chose to become an official sponsor of the United Nations LGBTI standards of best practices in companies. Drawn up by the UN’s High Commission for Human Rights, the standards have been devised to guide companies in best practices with respect to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersexual people (LGBTI).