Gore believes in conducting business in a fair and ethical manner. All Associates are expected to demonstrate integrity in all relationships when dealing with suppliers, customers, and stakeholders, as well as with other Gore Associates.
Our global reputation and success are a direct result of the strong values that are the foundation of our company's culture. Because the individual conduct of every Gore Associate can have a profound impact on our company, we must live up to these values, acting responsibly, with integrity and in compliance with the applicable laws and regulations of the countries in which we do business.
Our Associates' Standards of Ethical Conduct (ASEC) is a summary document that explains Gore's policies and procedures and guides us in conducting our business with integrity, legally and ethically.
While we can ensure the highest level of safety and fair treatment of employees in our own sites, we have an extensive supply network in which we strive to promote decent and safe working conditions.
Finished products made with GORE-TEX laminates are made in around 800 manufacturing facilities in above 60 countries by hundreds of thousands of people who turn our high-tech fabrics into finished merchandise, including clothing, footwear, gloves and accessories. We are dedicated to protecting the rights and safety of all the people employed along our supply network.
In an effort to promote fair labor practices and safe working environments, Gore has adopted Guidelines on Social Responsibility (GSR) as our Code of Conduct. The GSR, which is based on the standards set by the UN International Labor Organization (ILO) and related UN treaties and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, is aligned with broadly accepted industry specific standards. This Code of Conduct specifically sets expectations regarding fair labor requirements, decent working conditions, and compliance with legal and environmental regulations.
PUTTING OUR CODE OF CONDUCT INTO PRACTICE
As a part of our social compliance journey, we assess our performance and work on continuous improvement plans using the Higg Facility Social and Labor Module (FSLM) of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC). In August 2019, the Gore fabrics plant in Shenzhen, China successfully underwent an independent Higg FSLM verification process, assessing our social compliance performance objectively with results available for our customers to review on the Higg platform.