Ethics & Human Rights

At Yum!, we understand our long-term success and growth is predicated on operating a resilient and socially responsible business that creates value for all stakeholders. A key component of this is the high standards of ethical conduct we set for ourselves and our stakeholders, particularly franchisees and suppliers. We reference many leading frameworks in building our policies and procedures, including the   UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. Our commitments and expectations around these standards are expressed in our Global Code of Conduct for which all employees are required to certify their acceptance of it as part of annual compliance training, which also covers anti-discrimination and harassment.

When it comes to interacting with one another, employees are expected to demonstrate mutual respect. Sexual, racial, ethnic, religious or any other type of harassment has no place at Yum!. It is our policy to deal fairly with employees; provide equal opportunity for all in recruiting, hiring, developing, promoting and compensating without regard to race, religion, color, age, gender, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, citizenship, national origin or other legally protected status; maintain a professional, safe and discrimination free work environment; and recognize and compensate employees based on their performance.

Human Rights in the Supply Chain

We view our suppliers as key stakeholders within our wider system. Our Supplier Code of Conduct is a mandatory declaration for all suppliers seeking to work with Yum! Brands and clearly articulates our expectations of compliance on operational standards, ethics and human rights. In addition, we have commitments in key sourcing areas including palm oil, through our membership to the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and in fresh produce as part of the Fair Food Standards Council.

While responding to identified issues is important, we are committed to building a more proactive response to managing ethical risks within our supply chain. In 2020, Yum! established a global membership with Sedex, one of the world’s leading ethical trade membership organizations that works with businesses to create more responsible and sustainable business practices. Sedex assesses risk at each supplier site, across four main areas – labor standards, health and safety, business ethics and environment – and uses a combination of self-assessments and third-party, ethical audits, to determine both potential and actual exposure.

Gaining this additional visibility further strengthens our existing supply chain auditing capabilities, adding increased focus on human rights and labor practices, within responsible sourcing more broadly. Our initial focus remains core, direct food suppliers in higher-risk markets, where we believe we can have the most impact. Our work is informed by our recent inherent risk assessment, which indicated potential areas of concern in developing geographies, and within the manufacturing and agriculture, forestry and fishing industries (specifically meat packing and processing, palm oil and hand-picked agriculture).