SPIE maintains high ethical requirements for the way it conducts its business. It aims to imbue and preserve a solid internal culture based on trust and integrity. SPIE’s principles of ethical standards reflect the Group’s commitment on the ethical front.
They reflect our historical values as expressed in one of our guiding principles:
“All our actions have to be guided by reliability, trust and fairness requirements. We must endeavour to meet and exceed the regulatory requirements in force, honour our commitments and avoid conflicts of interest. We undertake to fight against all form of corruption and anti-competition collusion, to produce accurate internal data, and to communicate with full transparency internally and externally.”
SPIE adheres to the guiding principles of the OECD and has been a member of Global Compact since 2003. This organization operates under the auspices of the UN to promote the defence of human rights, compliance with labour standards, the fight against corruption and due account of environmental problems. We aspire to economic performance while complying with high ethical requirements in the way we do our business, and by giving preference to reciprocal trust and confidence and sustainable relations with all our stakeholders.
Our aim is to develop purchasing from suppliers who employ people in the process of reintegration, but also to work with companies from local employment areas and establishments in the adapted/protected sector (Établissements et Services d’Aide par le Travail/Entreprises Adaptées [Assistance and Service Centres helping Disabled People into Work]). Orders from the adapted/protected sector accounted for nearly €1 million in 2013.
SPIE has initiated a supplier assessment procedure to publicize better their CSR commitments and to identify areas for improvement to be implemented. The supplier assessment method is built with the expertise of a third, independent and accredited company and is based on the analysis of 21 criteria on the following topics: Environment, Social Affairs, Business Ethnics, and suppliers. A responsible purchasing charter has been drawn up to involve all providers in its sustainable development approach.
Thus, in 2018, 88% of our purchases from our strategic suppliers were assessed on the basis of their CSR performance.
Training courses in business ethnics for all managers have been introduced. The aim is to respond better to concrete questions that managers may face in carrying out their tasks. Determined to improve rules and procedures continuously, the Group’s General Management Committee has reviewed and adopted its ethics policy by relying in particular on the “principles of business ethics” and the “guide to the application of ethical principles,” intended to define the proper conduct to be adopted under its activities. As regards the suppliers, all its partners are audited. A specific internal and external communication has also been put in place.
Every year, the Group offers its employees an opportunity to become shareholders of SPIE under preferential conditions by subscribing to shares at a reduced price.
Shareholding employees are part of SPIE’s corporate culture and illustrate the strong and lasting bond between employees and the Group.
