By ANTONIO PASOLINI

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The Eastman Chemical Company has won one of the highest corporate ethics accolades. It was listed by the Ethisphere Institute as a 2015 World’s Most Ethical Company in the Chemicals company list alongside Ecolab Inc., the only two companies in the sector. Companies are listed based on their efforts in fostering ethical behavior at every level within the organization.

At the center of the organization’s efforts is its Office of Business Conduct, which establishes the Code of Global Business Conduct. The Code lays down all the rules and principles employees have to adhere to regarding honesty, integrity and responsible corporate behavior. All employees have to take an annual training on the Code. Besides, the company provides a confidential, 24-hours “hotline” so employees can anonymously report suspected violations. The hotline is staffed by third party specialists.

“Earning this recognition involves the collective action of a global workforce from the top down. We congratulate everyone at Eastman for this extraordinary achievement” said Ethisphere’s CEOTimothy Erblich. Ethisphere uses its Ethics Quotient framework to make the assessment that results in the annual list.

The framework has been developed over the course of many years as a tool to make the assessment of an organization ethical performance an objective, consistent and standardized procedure. Companies are scored in five key categories: ethics and compliance program (25%), reputation, leadership and innovation (20%), governance (10%), corporate citizenship and responsibility (25%) and culture of ethics (20%).

“Being ethical not only makes good business sense, it’s the right thing to do” said David A. Golden, Eastman’s Senior VP and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer. “It takes each and every one of us to ensure that Eastman’s business activities are consistently conducted both legally and ethically. Receiving this prestigious recognition further reinforces our commitment to honesty, integrity and responsible corporate behavior” he added.