Our commitment to integrity and responsibility/media/Files/S/Syngenta/...The Syngenta Code of Conduct 2 Every day, newspaper headlines remind us that it takes years to build a reputation,

Our commitment to integrity and responsibility

The Syngenta Code of Conduct

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Contents

A joint message from the Chairman andChief Executive Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Business integrity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Science, products, property rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Compliance with the Code of Conduct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Our commitment to integrity and responsibility



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Every day, newspaper headlines remind us that it takes years to build a reputation, but just seconds to destroy it. A careless mistake, a lapse of judgment or illegal behavior – all can seriously damage a company’s reputation.

Only an unwavering commitment to the highest standards of ethics and integrity will enable us to maintain our reputation. By doing business the right way, we can strengthen shareholders’ confidence and grow our business sustainably.

Our Code of Conduct is the cornerstone of Syngenta’s commitment to ethical behavior.It outlines our business, social and environmental responsibilities and clearly sets out the standards we expect from our people and our partners.

A joint message from the Chairman and Chief ExecutiveOfficer

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We can only meet these standards by taking personal responsibility for acting in an ethical and responsible way. We all need to act with integrity. We all need to be clear about what that involves and why it matters. And we need to make sure we give compliance the priority it demands.

We expect you to know and understand the Code of Conduct, and apply it without exception. By working individually and collectively to achieve the same high ethical standards, we can be proud of both the work that we do and the way that we do it.

Michel DemaréChairman

Erik Fyrwald Chief Executive Officer


Introduction Aims of the Code of Conduct Large organizations, particularly those working in sensitive markets, are under constant scrutiny from a range of stakeholders. To ensure we meet the standards which Syngenta’s stakeholders expect, we have produced this updated Syngenta Code of Conduct, which builds on, and replaces the first edition, issued shortly after Syngenta was formed.

The Code of Conduct sets out clearly the standards different stakeholders can expect from Syngenta on a range of relevant and important issues. Together with our Purpose and Values, it should guide our behavior and help us deal with difficult situations and decisions.

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Managers’ responsibilities Syngenta managers must ensuretheir employees have read,understood and applied theCode of Conduct in their everydayactivities, providing training andsupport as required.

Leadership involves settingstandards and managers mustexemplify the Code of Conduct in the way they lead their teams and in the way they deal with external stakeholders.

Employees’ responsibilities Syngenta employees must read,understand and apply the Code of Conduct, wherever they work and whatever situation faces them.

We expect them to raise any questions about this Code of Conduct with their managers, or with members of the Compliance, Legal or the Human Resources teams, as appropriate. Violations of this Code of Conduct will result in appropriate disciplinary action under applicable employment laws and practices.

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1 Compliance with law

2 Competition law

3 Bribery andcorruption

4 Securities trading(Insider dealing)

5 Health, Safety and Environment

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As an industry leader, we take ourresponsibilities very seriously. We aretransparent and responsible andcomply with all applicable laws, andensure that employees are aware ofthose laws relevant to their roles.

We fully support national andinternational legislation aimed atcreating free and fair global trade.

Law


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Law

1Compliancewith law

Syngenta complies with allapplicable laws, national andinternational codes andconventions. We will comply with all nationaland international laws and industrycodes of practice that areapplicable to our work.

We are aware that certain lawsapply not only to commercialbehavior in a particular country orterritory, but also to conductelsewhere, which has a significantimpact on competition in thatcountry or territory.

2 Competitionlaw

Syngenta expects its employeesto comply with competition law. We will ensure that all businesspractices fully comply withapplicable competition law whereverbusiness is conducted.

Competition laws apply to businessconduct in general and to allbusiness arrangements, irrespectiveof whether they are in written,oral or any other form.

Competition laws do not normallyapply to business transactionssolely between Syngenta groupcompanies.

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3Bribery andcorruption

All Syngenta dealings with public officials or other third parties must be carried out withintegrity and must comply withapplicable national laws andinternational conventions. We will not provide or offer directly, or through third parties, any unlawful payment, inducement or item of value, to any public official, supplier or anyone else for the purpose of unduly influencing official action or with the purpose of obtaining a favorable decision.

4Securities trading(Insider dealing)

Syngenta prohibits securitiestrading based on materialnon-public information. Syngenta employees will not usematerial non-public information forpersonal gain or for the personalgain of anybody else.

We will not disclose material non-public information to anyone,including friends, family, customersor suppliers. In the event of anemployee obtaining material non-public information, that employee isprohibited to trade on, or otherwiseprofit from, such information.


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Law

5 Health, Safetyand Environment

Syngenta applies high Health,Safety and Environmental(HSE) standards. We aim to protect the environmentand to ensure the health and safetyof our employees and otherspotentially affected by our activities.All operations and facilities musthave in place adequate HSEprocedures and practices.

We will provide a safe and healthywork environment for all employeesand work with employees to developa culture which encourages everyemployee to take personalresponsibility for HSE.

We will ensure HSE considerationsare integrated into all activities andemployees are given the appropriatetraining and other support toachieve this.

We will openly communicate HSEperformance and enter into dialoguewith interested parties.

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We always maintain the highest standardsof fairness, honesty and integrity. Thisearns us the trust of our stakeholdersand protects our reputation.

Through this, we can take great pride inhow we conduct our business and ourcontribution to society, and we encourageall employees to lead by example.

6 Advertising, sales andmarketing practices

7 Offering and accepting gifts,services andentertainment

8 Political contributions

9 Lobbying

10 Dealing withoppressive regimes

11 Animal testing

12 Contractualobligations andstandards ofdocumentation

13 Conflicts of interest

Businessintegrity

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We always maintain the highest standardsof fairness, honesty and integrity. Thisearns us the trust of our stakeholdersand protects our reputation.

Through this, we can take great pride inhow we conduct our business and ourcontribution to society, and we encourageall employees to lead by example.

Businessintegrity


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Business integrity

6Advertising, sales andmarketing practices

7 Offering and acceptinggifts, services andentertainment

Syngenta conducts its advertising,sales and marketing activitiesethically and in compliance withall applicable laws and codes onadvertising practices, in particularthe Food and AgricultureOrganization of the UnitedNations Code of Conduct on theDistribution & Use of Pesticides. We will represent Syngenta and thequality and performance of ourproducts and services honestly.Comparisons with competitiveproducts, where legally permitted,will be based entirely on factualinformation.

Syngenta approves of gifts,services and entertainmentsolely as proper and legalbusiness courtesies. We will only provide gifts,entertainment or unpaid serviceswhen consistent with customarypractice and when not incontravention of any applicable law.

Syngenta employees will onlyaccept gifts, entertainmentor personal favors which mightnot unduly influence ourbusiness decisions.

We must not use other people tocircumvent any of the above.

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8Politicalcontributions

9Lobbying

Any political contributions bySyngenta must be approved inadvance and in line with relevantinternal guidelines. We will only use Syngenta funds forpolitical donations in accordancewith applicable national law, andwith the prior approval of therelevant Syngenta GovernmentAffairs Department, CountryManager or political campaigncommittee.

Syngenta may engage inpolitical debate on subjects thatadvance the company’s goals andimprove the communities wherewe work and live. We maintain strict internal controlof lobbying activities and conductthem in full compliance with locallaw and guided by honesty,completeness, respect, accuracyof information and transparency.

Any lobbying activities carried outby appointed external agencies orthrough our industry associationsmust be guided by the sameprinciples that apply for Syngenta.


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Business integrity

10Dealing withoppressive regimes

11Animal testing

Syngenta operates incountries with oppressiveregimes only for the benefitof the wider population. Where a country has been classifiedby the United Nations (UN) ashaving an oppressive regime, wewill assess on a case by case basiswhether it is in the wider interestsof its population for Syngenta tocontinue to provide products andservices to sustain agriculturaloutput and ensure adequatefood supplies.

We will not violate sanctions andembargoes imposed by the UN.

Syngenta uses animal studiesonly when appropriate and aimsto develop alternative techniquesthat replace and reduce the useof animals. We adopt a humane andcompassionate approach to thecare and use of animals and aimto operate to the highestprofessional standards.

Syngenta employees will alwaysconsider alternative methods inprocedures requiring the use ofanimals, wherever and wheneverappropriate.

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12Contractual obligationsand standards ofdocumentation

13Conflicts of interest

Syngenta honors its contractualobligations and ensures thattransactions are timely andaccurately documented inconformity with legalrequirements and applicableaccounting standards. Syngenta employees will not commitSyngenta to contractual obligationswhich are beyond the scope of anemployee’s internal authority.

We will make sure that all companyreports, records and accounts areprepared and properly stored inaccordance with applicable lawsand the relevant standards adoptedby the company.

Business transactions must beconducted with the best interestsof Syngenta in mind. Syngenta employees will not exploitany business opportunity thatconflicts with the interests ofSyngenta. They will not undertakeany outside employment, businessactivity or investment which wouldinterfere with their ability to performtheir responsibilities for Syngenta.

We will not allow any individual ororganization to benefit improperlyfrom Syngenta through itsrelationship with a Syngentaemployee. Equally, no Syngentaemployee may personally benefitin an improper way from arelationship with anotherindividual or organization.


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14 Environmental impact

15 Biological diversity

16 Communities

17 Stakeholdercommunications

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SocietyWe strive to make a positivecontribution to society and listenand respond to people’s concerns.

As an industry leader, we can beproud of the way we treat ourcompany, our colleagues and society.


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Society

14Environmentalimpact

15 Biologicaldiversity

Syngenta evaluates and respondsto environmental issues. We take all reasonable steps topreserve the quality and quantityof natural resources including water,land and air through responsiblescientific, environmental,agricultural, economic, socialand commercial practices.

We aim to minimize theenvironmental impact of ouroperations by complying with allapplicable laws, internationalguidelines and industry standards.

We actively support the efforts ofour customers and other partners inthe safe and environmentally soundhandling of the products theyreceive from us.

Syngenta is aware that itsbusiness relies on the rich varietyof plants and animals known asbiodiversity. We aim to develop new products aswell as new methods to use existingproducts, which protect andenhance biodiversity.

We endorse the principles ofconservation and sustainable useof biological diversity and the fairand equitable sharing of benefitsarising from genetic resources setout in the Convention on BiologicalDiversity (“Biodiversity Convention”),adopted in Rio de Janeiro at theEarth Summit in 1992, and theCartagena Protocol.

Syngenta employees will notbecome involved in any acts ofbio-piracy or illegal bio-sourcing.

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16Communities

17Stakeholdercommunications

Syngenta is committed tomaking a positive contributionto the communities in whichit operates. Wherever we operate, we seekto make a positive contribution,creating economic, health andsocial benefits for the community,respecting local customs andtraditions, and are ready to listenand respond to people’s concerns.

Syngenta seeks to buildtrust and understanding withkey stakeholders, includinginvestors, media, regulators,governments and non-governmental organizations. We are committed to an opendialogue and information sharingwith our key stakeholders, in linewith our company values, andrespect the independence ofgovernments and the media.

Syngenta employees will onlyengage in dialogue with investorsand the media with the priorconsent of the appropriateinternal function.


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18 Research and Development

19 Product safety, quality andstewardship

20 Asset protection

21 Intellectual property rights

Science, productsand property rights

We provide innovative, reliable, high-qualityproducts and have safeguards to protectstakeholders and the environment.

The creativity of our people providesproducts which help growers meet theglobal challenges to agriculture.

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18Research andDevelopment

Syngenta conducts researchaimed at developing innovative,safe and reliable products thatimprove agricultural productivityand increase quality of life. We will publicly disclose researchand development results ofsignificance in an objective andaccurate way.

We will investigate all crediblereports of previously unknown shortand long-term effects associatedwith the correct use of our productsand take appropriate actions.

We will only collaborate on scientificresearch and development withorganizations which apply similarethical standards.

We strive for sustainability in allresearch and developmentoperations and aim to protectand conserve natural resources.

Syngenta employees will applythe highest ethical and scientificstandards and adopt robustprocesses and controls. They willbe alert to wider societal concernsabout technology and its impacts,as well as applying rigorousscientific risk assessment.

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19Product safety, qualityand stewardship

Syngenta ensures the quality andsafety of its products and servicesby applying state of the artscience and technology standardsthroughout a product life cycleand ensuring adequate trainingfor our employees and customers. We will work closely with customers,contractors, users and all otherstakeholders to ensure proper andresponsible use of our productsand understanding of theprecautions that apply throughoutthe product life cycle.

We will carefully identify hazards,assess risks associated with the useand alert users of consequencesfrom misuse of a product on theproduct package, leaflet and label.Products carry clear end userinstructions concerning safestorage, use and disposal.

Syngenta employees will establishrobust testing and processesto ensure all internal standardsand legislative and regulatoryrequirements are met or exceededand will report to companymanagement any failures inmeeting our standards or misuseof our products.


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20 Asset protection

Syngenta respects the propertyrights of others and vigorouslydefends its own property rights.

We will protect all Company assets,property and resources securely andwill only apply and use them for thepurpose of the Company’s businessand activities and not for our ownpersonal gain.

We will keep confidential andprotect trade secrets belongingto Syngenta or other companiesand not make any non-businessuse of them.

Information generated withinSyngenta, including informationrelating to research anddevelopment, manufacturing data,costs, prices, sales, profits, markets,customers and methods of doingbusiness is the property of Syngentaand will not, unless legally required,be disclosed outside Syngentawithout proper authority.

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Syngenta considers effectiveIntellectual Property (IP)protection essential to encourageinnovation. To be effective, anyIP system must maintain theright balance between the needsof society and the interests ofthe inventor. We will protect and assert ourIP rights rigorously and will respectthe IP rights of others.

21Intellectualproperty rights


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People

Our employees play a fundamental rolein our performance as a business.

We ensure our diversity policies providefair treatment for all employees and weaim for the highest, internationallyacknowledged benchmarks of fairness,honesty and integrity.

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22 Labor rights

23 Discrimination andharassment

24 Diversity

People


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People

22Labor rights

Syngenta complies with all laborlaws, national and internationalcodes and conventions and iscommitted to upholding theprinciples set out in the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights andthe International LaborOrganization’s core conventions. We recognize employees’ rightsto become members of relevantlabor unions and/or other employeeorganizations and bargaincollectively. Workers’ representativesare not discriminated againstand have access to carry out theirrepresentative functions in theworkplace.

We do not use forced, bondedor compulsory labor and refrainfrom any form of exploitative childlabor practices.

23Discriminationand harassment

Syngenta is committed tomaintaining a workplace environ-ment free from discrimination andharassment. Success andadvancement within Syngentamust depend on personal abilityand work performance. We will not tolerate discriminationbased on race, sex, religion, creed,national origin, disability, age, sexualorientation, physical or mentaldisability, family status, politicalviews or any other characteristicsprotected by law.

We prohibit harassment in any form,including verbal, physical, mentaland visual harassment.

Every employee must respect therights of colleagues to work freefrom any form of discrimination orharassment in the workplace.

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24 Diversity

We will make decisions aboutpeople for the purpose ofrecruitment, development orpromotion purely on the basis oftheir performance, ability andpotential in relation to therequirements of the job.

We encourage any employee whobelieves he or she has suffereddiscrimination or harassment toreport it to their managers, orthrough the Syngenta ComplianceHelpline. We will investigate everyreport impartially and follow upproven violations with appropriate measures.

Syngenta values diversity andfosters a culture that allows eachindividual to contribute to his orher fullest potential. We actively recruit employees toreflect the broad range of cultures,beliefs and backgrounds of thecommunities where we operateand the customers we serve.

We will treat every employeewith honesty, dignity, fairnessand respect.


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Compliance with the Code of Conduct

Adherence to the Code of ConductEvery employee receives a copy of this Code of Conduct when they join Syngenta. Syngenta requires that all persons governed by this Code of Conduct understand and fully comply with these provisions. Each employee must abide by the Code of Conduct and all policies, guidelines and rules adopted by Syngenta Companies.

Speaking up when you suspect violations of the Code of Conduct We expect employees to speak up immediately if they know orsuspect that anyone is not complying with the Code of Conduct.

Employees can speak to their managers or members of the Compliance team at any time. Alternatively, the Syngenta Compliance Helpline provides confidential means to report violations. It is operated by a third party organization with specialist counselors, and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and translators are available if required. For further details search ‘Compliance Helpline’ on the Syngenta intranet.

Syngenta takes every single report seriously and will conduct a thorough investigation to establish whether an actual violation has taken place. When a violation has occurred, the appropriatedisciplinary action will be taken.

Policies and the Compliance Resource Center For further detail on topics mentioned in the Code of Conduct you can refer to the Syngenta policies and Codes of Practice on the Syngenta Policies site, which you will find on mySyngenta.

The Compliance Resource Center is also available if you want to learn more about compliance, lead with ethics and integrity, promote compliance in your area or you need to speak to a local Compliance Officer. Search ‘Compliance’ on the Syngenta intranet.

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™ Trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company

Syngenta International AGBasel, Switzerland. All rights reserved.

Original publication date: 2009Revised: 2016

www.syngenta.com

Only an unwavering commitment to the highest standards of ethics and integrity will enable us to maintain our reputation.

Documents

Our commitment to integrity and responsibility/media/Files/S/Syngenta/...The Syngenta Code of Conduct 2 Every day, newspaper headlines remind us that it takes years to build a reputation,