ETHICS & GOVERNANCE
People are at the heart of Tiger Brands. As we continue to grow, we rely on healthy relations between all our stakeholders; employees, customers, community, shareholders and vendors alike. For this reason, all Tiger Brands employees subscribe to a code of ethics which prohibits any form of discrimination and contains guidelines on making ethical decisions.
Human Rights
We are committed to an environment of mutual trust and respect which is free from discrimination based on gender, race, nationality, ethnicity, age, religion, marital status, sexual orientation or disability and should respect human rights and provide equal opportunities. Such an environment also forbids any forms of sexual harassment.
Our Human Rights policy aligns with the bill of rights in South Africa’s constitution, the United Nations (UN) guiding principles on business and human rights, the international bill of human rights, and the International Labour Organization’s declaration on fundamental principles and rights at work.
This ethical framework gives our people the tools for dealing with moral complexity within the business. Our commitment extends to:
●Non-discrimination and respecting diversity
●Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining
●The right to a safe and healthy working environment
●The prohibition of forced and child labour
●Establishing fair and competitive wages and benefits
●Respecting the rights of our local communities
●Security arrangements
●Protecting the environment
●Ethical sourcing in our supply chain
Anti-corruption
We believe reputation is just as important as profit. To maintain our reputation as a Good Corporate citizen we have introduced anti-corruption and anti-bribery policies that govern how we operate. Any acts of bribery and corruption are strictly prohibited and we have a zero-tolerance approach to any action that goes against the code. The social, ethics and transformation committee (SET) monitors processes and policies to ensure compliance.
In 2018, our CEO Lawrence Mac Dougall publicly committed the company to maintaining the highest standards of integrity by endorsing the Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) Integrity Pledg . By signing the Integrity Pledge, the company has committed to:
• actively combat corruption practice wherever it may appear;
• refrain from engaging in anti-competitive business practices;
• have zero-tolerance for corruption; and
• protect whistleblowers and provide information.
As a company, we believe that businesses – individually and collectively – should take the lead in facilitating socio-economic change to bring about a more equal, stable and prosperous society.
“We support this initiative without reservation and we expect our staff, our business partners and associates to hold themselves to the same levels of ethics and integrity to which we have committed ourselves. As South Africans, we need to ensure that we have a solid foundation, supported by a strong ethical disposition to create jobs and uplift our communities.” Lawrence Mac Dougall, CEO Tiger Brands
We have employed the services of Tip-Offs Anonymous (a division of Deloitte), to give all our employees, suppliers, customers, consumers and members of the public the opportunity to do the right thing and anonymously report any dishonesty or fraud.
We’ve further ensured that this information is accessible to all. Our policies, code of ethics, anti-bribery and gifts and entertainment policies, are published on our intranet. We also publish and display relevant articles and posters around our sites to further educate employees on corruption.
Cyber-Security
Trust is a crucial feature in any relationship whether personal or professional. It is important to us that our customers trust us with the safety of their information.
In a bid to manage customer information with integrity we initiated a programme to assess and adapt our processes, policies and systems to comply with the requirements of the Protection of Personal Information Act 2013 (POPI) and the EU General Data Protection Regulation. The programme includes training and awareness campaigns for the top 1 000 employees in the group (from executives to line managers). Our cybersecurity strategy includes rolling out controls to protect personal information. These initiatives are evaluated and adapted as the dynamic context of cybersecurity evolves to ensure that related risks are appropriately managed.
Good corporate governance begins with a company's own internal practices and policies. We approach this task with the utmost seriousness to ensure the continued growth and prosperity of the giant that is Tiger Brands.
Reporting Breaches of the Code of Ethics:
Tiger Brands has zero tolerance for any form of bribery, fraud, corruption or theft. People are encouraged to report any suspected or potential breach in the Tiger Brands Code of Ethics anonymously through the Tiger Brands Ethics Line on 0800 808 080 or via email to tiger-brands@ethics-line.com. The Ethics Line is independently managed to protect the anonymity and confidentiality of whistleblowers and is open to all employees and the general public.
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Ethics
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Governance
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Tiger Brands code of ethics covers the following principles
TIGER BRANDS CODE OF CONDUCT OVERVIEW
Our Code of Conduct represents a clear, conscious and personal commitment to doing what is right.
Tiger Brands values ethical behaviour and is committed to achieving the highest standards of ethical behaviour. Our Code of Conduct is designed to provide a reference point to ensure that our actions are guided by Tiger Brands values and behaviours.
This Code is also designed to empower Applicable Persons to make decisions, act appropriately and to challenge and object to unethical behaviour in the following aspects:
- Leadership through diversity
- Operating to the highest standards of service and productivity
- Recruitment and selection
- Supply products of the highest quality
- Contributing meaningfully to the communities in which we operate
- Minimising our impact on the environment
- Establishing ethical long-term relationship with customers, suppliers and business partners
- Gifts and hospitality
- Contributions to political parties
- Compliance with laws and regulations
- Zero tolerance for any form of bribery, corruption or dishonest activities
- Insider trading
- Maintaining a healthy and safe working environment
- Fair competition
- Protecting and utilising the Group’s assets and systems in an appropriate manner
- Communicating in a truthful, open and transparent manner
- Guidelines for making ethical decisions
Reporting Breaches of the Code of Conduct:
Tiger Brands has zero tolerance for any form of bribery, fraud, corruption or theft. People are encouraged to report any suspected or potential breach in the Tiger Brands Code of Conduct anonymously through the Tiger Brands Ethics Line on 0800 808 080 or via email to tiger-brands@ethics-line.com. The Ethics Line is independently managed to protect the anonymity and confidentiality of whistleblowers and is open to all employees and the general public.
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Compliance
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Tiger Brands Code of Conduct & Related Policies
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Corporate Policies
Diversity and Employment Equity policy
Tiger Brands promotes workplace diversity. We strive to create an inclusive and diverse culture that recognises the unique strengths and talents of our diverse workforce, enabling individual employees and teams to grow, flourish and achieve their true potential – thereby contributing towards making Tiger Brands a great place to work for all!
Stakeholder Relations Policy Statement
Tiger Brands recognises the business imperative for effective stakeholder engagement, whether it is to lobby support, proactively engage on impact, respond to stakeholder’s material concerns and issues, gather stakeholder insights, consult, plan or agree with stakeholders, or to provide feedback on performance. Apart from achieving these specific outcomes, we believe that engagement should build relationships and Tiger Brands’ reputational capital with its stakeholders.
Tiger Brands’ Stakeholder Management Strategy is aligned with the King IV Report on Corporate Governance. The Stakeholder Engagement policy articulates Tiger Brands’ approach to communicating and engaging with its stakeholders. This Policy applies to all Tiger Brands representatives who are relationship owners and who engage with internal and external stakeholders. As such, it applies to the Tiger Brands Board of Directors, Executive Committee (Exco), senior management, management and employees as well as associated companies’ employees, temporary employees, contractors, service providers and consultants. The policy sets out principles for engagement with our stakeholders and should be read in conjunction with the following policies, Tiger Brands Code of Ethics, Anti-corruption and Anti Bribery Policy, Gifts, Entertainment and Hospitality Policy, Corporate Social Investment Policy, Media and Social Media Policies.
- The Primary objective of this policy is to direct Tiger Brands’ stakeholder engagement in the interest of:
- The identification of opportunities and threats arising from material stakeholder issues.
- Due consideration of the legitimate interests and expectations of stakeholders in strategy development and decision making.
- Developing a deep understanding of requirements for sustainable socio-economic development.
- Developing and maintaining healthy relationships with stakeholders.
Socio-Economic Development (DED) policy
The Tiger Brands Socio-Economic Development (SED) policy was revised in November 2016, and outlines standard operating procedures (SoPs) and guidelines for the identification, selection and execution of Tiger Brands six SED programmes, namely: the Food and Nutrition Support Programme; Customer, Stakeholder and Brand CSI; Employee Volunteerism; Beneficiary Capacity Building; the Household and Community Food Garden Initiative; and the Community Enterprise Development Programme. The document further outlines the procedures in place for reporting, monitoring, verification and impact assessment of all projects and programmes. The SED policy highlights the policies and plans that have guided the development of the revised SED strategy, including the BBBEE Codes of Good Practice, the South African National Development Plan (NDP), Africa 2063 Agenda Aspirations, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ISO 26000 and the International Integrated Reporting Framework, and the King IV Report on Corporate Governance. Governance procedures and the grant making cycle are outlined in the policy, as well as the communications policy; and consultation, dialogue and engagement plans.
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Corporate Positions
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Supplier Terms & Conditions
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Governance
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Board Charter Committee and Terms of Reference
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TB Group Privacy Notice
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Application of King IV Code