Governance & Ethics
Upholding Ethical Behavior
Upholding Ethical Behavior
At ADAMA, we continually strive to be a socially responsible and trusted Company that is driven by the highest ethical standards and legal compliance in all our business practices. We view compliance as an essential part of our long-term success.
We do not tolerate any violation of the law, our code of conduct, or internal regulations.
Our businesses are managed responsibly and in compliance with the statutory and regulatory requirements of local countries. We have established an ethics committee to examine and review resolution of various ethical issues in a consistent manner, with two senior management members participating and reporting to the Executive Committee.
In 2009, we established the role of Ethics Officer to handle ethics-related issues in a professional and confidential manner. Michal Arlosoroff, Executive Vice President, General Legal Counsel, Company Secretary and Chief Sustainability & Communication Officer, who has held this office since 2009, reports regularly to management on the Company’s ethical performance. Processes which have been established by the Ethics Officer make it straightforward for our people to seek advice or counseling regarding any ethical question, dilemma, or complaint in an anonymous and/or confidential manner, ensuring that all queries are handled properly.
SpeakUp – Reporting Concerns
All employees are encouraged to report any concern that the Company’s ethical standards are not being met. ADAMA recognizes that sometimes issues are too sensitive to report directly. For these special ethical situations, we offer the SpeakUp service, a confidential toll-free call or e-mail reporting system.
SpeakUp is available in our all employees’ native languages. The system is also available for non-employees, such as service providers, who may wish to raise ethical concerns.
The reports are recorded by an independent, external third party, translated if needed, and forwarded to ADAMA’s Ethics Officer for confidential investigation. The person reporting receives a reference number for the report so that they can call back or log in to receive feedback or provide further information.
Since 2017, the average response time to SpeakUp reports decreased by 3 days.
All complaints received in 2018 were related to HR issues, while complaints in 2019 were more diverse. 40% of complaints were about bribery and corruption, 20% about HR issues, and 20% about product compliance. From 2017 to 2019, there was a 44% decrease in complaints, and this downward trend continued in 2020. Based on information received from the SpeakUp platform, ADAMA investigated and took proper corrective actions.
2020 SpeakUp Complaints By Topic
Code of Conduct
Our Code of Conduct is the blueprint by which we ensure ethical practices and integrity. In the Code, we outline our commitment to our People and stakeholders and set out our expectations of them. It encompasses our corporate culture, community relations, and the components of appropriate behavior. In 2019, compliance with the Code of Conduct was discussed during the General Assembly and throughout the Company to raise awareness of the subject.
In 2019, the Code of Conduct, as well as a Q&A section giving day-to-day examples of situations of ethical dilemmas, was reissued in the Asia Pacific region, translated into 4 new languages, and made available in a total of 21 languages.
In order to achieve full alignment, roll out and training on the Code of Conduct was conducted on a global scale throughout ADAMA. 6,191 employees participated in the programs, and 88% of users completed them.
Compliance Moments site
In 2020 we launched our compliance Moments program, a user-friendly way to raise awareness for compliance. The Compliance Moments program consists of cases featuring real life ethical and legal dilemmas from a wide range of topics to be shared by our leadership members in the first 5 minutes of meetings they lead.
Our new Compliance Moments website is home to all Compliance Moments cases, currently available in four languages – English, Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish. Each case, labeled with a catchy title, includes a multiple answer question and suggested points for discussion referring to our Code of Conduct.
The Compliance Moments can be shared in the traditional way, i.e. using slides, or through our new interactive user-friendly app, allowing an interactive, dynamic and real-time participation of all members.
Zero Tolerance for Bribery and Corruption
ADAMA has zero tolerance for, and is committed to preventing, bribery and corruption. It is committed to full compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and contract requirements relating to the fight against bribery and corruption.
Our code of conduct strictly prohibits offering, giving, or receiving bribes, either directly or through a third party. Entering into business relationships with an individual or entity which has a history of engagement with bribery is forbidden. We share, implement, supervise, and enforce our anti-bribery and anti-corruption principles with all of our people.
Our policy is to require all relevant employees to complete online anti-bribery training on an annual basis. Where necessary, the online training is provided in the local language.
In 2019, we planned various initiatives as part of our commitment to preventing bribery and corruption. These plans included the creation of an online library of compliance case studies, as well as continued training and assimilation. In 2020, ADAMA internally developed the anti-bribery training. The online training was deployed on a global scale throughout ADAMA and is accessible to all employees in their local languages.
Since 2018, completion of all the compliance training programs are a necessary condition for receiving a bonus payment.
No Political Donations
We do not use funds or corporate resources to support any political candidate or party. We recognize the rights of our employees to participate in the political process, provided they act independently of ADAMA and do not use ADAMA time, property, or equipment in the process.
Ethical Supply Chain
ADAMA recognizes that the quality of its products is influenced, among other factors, by the quality of its relations with its suppliers. The Company conducts efficient, honest, and legal commercial relations with its suppliers, based on clear and organized procedures. We operate in accordance with environmental and social regulations, and expect our suppliers to do so as well.
Our Code of Conduct applies equally to all of our suppliers and includes aspects concerning environmental protection and community commitment. The Company attaches importance to having business relations with suppliers who are strict about fulfilling legal provisions regarding rights of employees, health and safety, protecting the environment, etc., within their businesses.
Looking Ahead
ADAMA is currently in the process of improving our supplier evaluation, which will include screening all new suppliers based on environmental friendliness, sustainability, employment practices, and social criteria. The procedure will be set out in a specific Supplier Code of Conduct available starting June 2020.
Data Privacy
ADAMA’s Global Information Security Policy emphasizes the critical role our business plays in protecting our People’s and stakeholders’ personal data, and putting in place preventative security measures to avoid data breaches. For this reason, we control and supervise access to personal information, balancing the interests and privacy rights of individuals with those of our business interests and assets, in full compliance with GDPR regulations.
Data Privacy training
In 2019, ADAMA launched a new learning module for online data privacy training. The module, which is available in 8 of our People’s native languages, covers the scope of data protection and data privacy laws, personal data processing, employee responsibilities, data breach management, data security, etc. All new employees are required to complete the training when they start at ADAM
GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards
GRI 103, GRI 102 – 16, GRI 102 – 44, GRI 205 – 2, GRI 415 – 1