You have a lot of choices for just about any type of product you want to purchase—from trucks to T-shirts to toothpaste. If you’re like me, you want to spend your money wisely, not just in terms of buying something you like, but also in supporting companies that try to do the right thing.
I want my new T-shirt to fit, but I also want it to feel right.
There are certain stores where I don’t shop and certain brands that I won’t buy. I care where I spend my money, and I feel good about those companies that earn my trust—that do the right thing.
I’m proud to say that Levi Strauss & Co. tries to do the right thing. It’s one of the main reasons I work here. And I’m even prouder to say that the Ethisphere Institute has today recognized LS&Co. as one of its 2014 World’s Most Ethical Company recipients.
The Ethisphere Institute is an independent center of research promoting best practices in corporate ethics and governance. For its “Most Ethical” recognition, the center evaluated companies for their ethics and compliance programs; reputation, leadership and innovation; governance; corporate citizenship and responsibility; and culture of ethics.
Now, think of all the apparel companies you can. There are a lot out there. So it says a lot to me that Ethisphere chose only three of them as a Most Ethical Company.
As the chief counsel of global human resources and compliance at Levi Strauss & Co., this award is important to me. Not only does it recognize our strong commitment to conducting business with integrity, it makes me feel good about my work, part of which is to make sure employees understand and embrace our Worldwide Code of Business Conduct. As a result, when you purchase our products, you can feel proud that our actions and decisions to bring them to market were built on our commitment to trust and integrity.
If you talk to our employees, they’ll tell you that they’re proud of where they work—not just because Levi’s® and Dockers® are among the most loved brands in the world, but because of this company’s commitment to doing the right thing. Sure, we make great products, but how we make those products, and all that goes into bringing them to consumers around the world, is every bit as important as the jeans and khakis and T-shirts themselves.
So, the next time you shop for clothes, I hope you’ll keep our company’s products in mind. We strive to do business in a way that earns your trust. We want you to feel good about our products—in more ways than one.
