In compliance with applicable laws and regulations, ST remains neutral by not providing funds, resources or time for political purposes.
Regarding charities, humanitarian efforts and philanthropic activities, we only support them after conducting due diligence: remember that some seemingly-legitimate charities can be related to political causes or used as a conduit for bribery.
What does it mean?
Any political activities, such as sending emails, letters, or contributing time, money, or resources to political causes and candidates, have to be unrelated from ST.
While you are free to express your own views, please remember that they should be strictly personal.
How we do the right thing?
Our Do’s
- We keep our personal political views separated from ST.
- We support charitable activities only AFTER proper due diligence to ensure they are legitimate and ethical.
Our Don’ts
- Aside from direct donations, we do not use ST’s funds, time, or resources for political purposes.
- We refrain from making any political statement that could be perceived as linked to ST.
Avoiding conflict of interests
in practice
Because real life is rarely as clear-cut as theory, here are the answers to a few questions you might have.
I’ve been asked to donate to a political candidate on behalf of ST. What should I do?
Politely decline explaining that ST does not engage in political contributions and that donating on behalf of ST would be against Company policy. Immediately report the request received to the Ethics, Compliance & Privacy department.
In order to obtain a favorable decision from a Public Official, I am considering making a donation to a non-profit organization that the Public Official is known to be associated with. What should I do?
Selecting a non-profit organization associated with a Public Official, in order to obtain a favorable decision, would constitute a conflict of interest and a form of bribery. This would be a violation of ST’s Code of Conduct. Anyone who becomes aware of or suspects such behavior should immediately report the incident to the Ethics Hotline or to the Ethics, Compliance & Privacy department.
It is essential to ensure that all decisions are made transparently and ethically, free from any undue influence or personal gain.