September 24, 2021
As announced in December 2019, UL became a Signatory of the United Nations (UN) Global Compact. This Compact serves a corporate citizenship and sustainability initiative focused on human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. As part of UL’s commitment to the UN Global Compact and advancing the societal and environmental goals it outlines, we provided our first Communication on Progress (CoP) on July 30, 2021. We’re proud to share that UL met the Advanced qualification level for our first CoP.
As a Signatory to the Compact, UL must provide a CoP annually to outline the company’s progress on the Ten Principles of the Global Compact. The minimum information required with each CoP includes:
- Statement from Chief Executive — Reiterating the company’s continued commitment to the UN Global Compact
- Description of Practical Actions — Information on how the company has implemented the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact
- Measurement of outcomes — Description of the results and impact of the company’s actionable items and goals
Companies that provide a CoP meeting the above minimum requirements are considered GC Active, according to UN CoP Policy. To achieve GC Advanced status, UL’s CoP provided details on implementing the Ten Principles of the Compact into its strategy, operations and robust management policies and procedures on human rights, labor issues, environmental sustainability and anti-corruption measures.
“As UL’s vice president of Corporate Sustainability, celebrating 37 years serving this great company, I have never been prouder of how far we’ve come in our sustainability journey,” said Barb Guthrie.
UL’s ongoing sustainability strategy is described in our 2020 Sustainability Report. It focuses on the progression of the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), where we determined our
company can make the most impact through our services, words and actions.
- Goal 3: Health and Well-Being — Promote healthy lives and well-being at all ages
- Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities — Support inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable communities, including living and working environments
- Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production — Help ensure sustainable and production practices
These goals reflect UL’s commitment to minimize negative impacts to the planet through sustainable efforts within our company and services and programs offered to our customers. While we work to fulfill our mission of working for a safer, more secure and sustainable world, we have the opportunity to help build a more prosperous future for everyone.
“And, in the spirit of SDG 17 — Partnerships for the Goals — we work to engage and empower our customers and stakeholders to come alongside us, share in our journey and work toward sustainable development. We connect local and global issues directly to our mission, identifying opportunities to optimize our human, financial and brand capital to make the greatest positive and sustainable impact on the world and its citizens,” Guthrie added.
As a company, UL shares our sustainability journey and uphold our goal of transparency. Submitting our annual CoP drive us to meet our goals while providing transparency for our stakeholders. All CoPs remain publicly available, which the UN notes provide stakeholders with the information they need regarding the companies with which they choose to do business.
More than 12,000 companies and organizations from over 160 countries have signed the UN Global Compact. UL is proud to stand with them in our commitment to responsible corporate citizenship and sustainability. For more information, visit the UN Global Compact website.