Upholding Human Rights
When it comes to holding ourselves and our global suppliers accountable on issues related to forced labor and other human rights abuses, Trident has a zero-tolerance approach to human rights violations.
Doing the Right Thing
At Trident, how we conduct business – and who we choose to do business with – is just as important as what we do. As always, we’re guided by our corporate values of caring for each other, pursuing excellence, and doing the right thing.
Doing the right thing and caring for each other means treating all people with dignity and respect. It means ensuring a safe and healthy work environment for our employees and that our suppliers follow responsible, ethical, and legal labor practices.
Our Supplier Code of Conduct and Human Rights policy is clear: We follow the law everywhere, and as a condition of doing business with Trident, we expect our supply chain partners to do the same.
Leading by Example: Ensuring Supply Chain Integrity
Code of Conduct
Trident’s Global Human Rights Policy, Global Code of Business Conduct, and Global Supplier Code of Conduct prohibit any kind of forced or child labor, slavery, or human trafficking. We consulted the United Nations Global Compact, Ethical Trading Initiative, and International Labour Organization for guidance when creating these policies.
We hold ourselves accountable to these standards and expect our suppliers and partners to do the same. As a condition of doing business with Trident, all suppliers must sign and state they are following these policies, including providing the unrestricted access needed to monitor compliance.
Corporate Social Responsibility Program
In addition to third-party audits and certification requirements, Trident operates an industry-leading, in-house Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program. We apply the same CSR program standards and processes to our Trident plants and locations as we do to our approved suppliers.
Our comprehensive program begins with a thorough vetting process before agreeing to do business with a potential new supplier. To date, Trident has visited and vetted over 100 supplier facilities, many of whom the company has not approved. Once the vetting process is successfully completed, we train owners and managers on Trident’s policies and expectations and require site-by-site signatures to accept our terms and conditions. Thereafter, we provide continual on-site training, auditing, and feedback to ensure compliance. If a supplier is unwilling or unable to uphold our standards, we terminate the agreement.
Through the program, Trident performs independent, on-site audits of Trident and supplier operations to ensure that practices align with our policies and expectations. Over time, Trident has expanded our in-house Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program to include a full-time, on-site CSR presence in China and the U.S.
Please see our Environment, Social and Governance Report and refer to our website News page for more information about Trident’s CSR program.
Compliance and reporting
We take any failure to comply very seriously. Violations may result in disciplinary action, including dismissal and legal action for individuals or groups of people, or termination of agreements for suppliers. Our philosophy is to address and resolve all problems brought to our attention.
There are several ways to ask for guidance or voice a concern regarding our Code or company policies, including speaking or emailing directly with a Trident manager, HR, Legal, CSR, or Internal Audit. Anonymous concerns can be raised through an independent EthicsPoint reporting service accessible via the Internet or toll-free phone numbers in every country and language in which we operate. These reporting avenues are available to everyone and are not restricted to Trident employees.
We will not tolerate any form of retaliation against anyone who, in good faith:
Raises a question or concern.
Cooperates with an investigation.
Refuses to do something that violates the Code, related Company policies, or the law, even if their refusal results in the loss of business to Trident.
Continuous improvement
One of our core values is pursuing excellence. Our commitment to ensuring people have a safe work environment, fair treatment, and equal opportunities to succeed is no different. We are always looking for ways to improve our processes and practices to fulfill this commitment. We collaborate with industry and other experts to comprehensively review our policies and CSR program to address new and emerging human rights challenges.
Additional Resources
The following links, policies, documents, and articles contain more information about how Trident conducts business and what we expect from our global supply chain partners.
International Policies and Standards
Trident Policies
Trident Documents
Trident Media Statements