Smart science to improve lives™
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Zero Exploitation

Zero is the new beautiful™
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Respecting people. Powering better beauty.

Achieving zero exploitation in beauty requires fully integrated responsibility – transitioning from isolated ethical commitments and going just beyond policies to actively ensuring people, communities, and natural resources are protected wherever they intersect the value chain.

At Croda Beauty, we make it a priority to embed ethical practices throughout our operations; that means a robust supplier code of conduct, taking steps to tackle modern slavery (publicly available in our annual modern slavery statement), and Living Wage commitments for our employees, gaining certification from the Fair Wage Network in 2025.   

Across our value chain, we combine clear expectations with direct supplier engagement programmes, Sedex site audits, and the implementation of our Human Rights Due Diligence programme. We are starting to roll out this programme globally this year, focusing initially on high-risk agricultural supply chains such as palm and soy. Through collaboration and industry partnerships, we continuously raise standards and reduce risk.

 

We are making progress

Evidence shows the scale of the challenge of moving towards a value chain with zero exploitation.  Globally, an estimated 27.6 million people are trapped in forced labour, much of it embedded within complex, multi-tier supply chains that are difficult to monitor.¹ At the same time, industry assessments indicate that many companies are still falling short in addressing human rights and environmental due diligence risks.²

This gap between commitment and action highlights the need for greater traceability, stronger accountability, and more consistent due diligence to identify and eliminate exploitation in all its forms.

Watch our video, People Behind the Progress: Zero Exploitation, to hear how Croda Beauty embeds human rights considerations into our operations to support progress towards zero exploitation.
 

 

1. BSI Group (2024) From Policy to Practice: Fighting Worker Exploitation Through Global Supply Chains
2. KnowTheChain (2023) Apparel and Footwear Benchmark

 
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Powering beauty brands

We’re applying our values-led principles to assessing our own operations and those of our suppliers to ensure we feel confident in our partner's human rights practices. For our customers, this:

Defends business reputation
Working with ethical, conscientious suppliers, who operate transparently, lowers risk of reputational damage from association with exploitative practices

Ensures due diligence for reporting and legislative compliance
Demonstrating credible, ethical supply chain practices

Enables responsible growth in high-risk supply chains
Supporting brands to scale sustainably by proactively managing human rights risks in sourcing regions

Embeds human rights into product value
Allowing brands to translate ethical sourcing into meaningful consumer and stakeholder differentiation and reinforce purpose-led positioning

 
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Supply chains and operations

Through collaboration, audits, and strong governance, we continuously raise our standards to reduce exploitation risk.

In line with the Modern Slavery Act UK (2015), we report annually on the steps we're taking to reduce the risk of slavery and human trafficking in our supply chains or any part of our business. Follow the link below to read our latest annual statement, which has been approved by our Board.
 
Read now
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Ingredient innovation

Our portfolio includes hundreds of vegan-suitable ingredients, supported by a corporate policy prohibiting animal testing unless legally mandated.

Meanwhile, our advances in synthetic biology and marine biotechnology enable the creation of complex molecules and high-performance ingredients without traditional harvesting, supporting the protection of delicate ecosystems. Discover more in our Biotechnology: Personal Care Market Report.
 
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The science behind zero exploitation

Delivering zero exploitation in beauty requires an evidence-based, end‑to‑end approach to removing potential human rights risks, unsafe labour practices from the value chain. This begins with alignment to internationally recognised standards, such as International Labour Organisation (ILO) fundamental conventions, the Modern Slavery Act, and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs).  

At Croda Beauty, we proactively manage potential human rights impacts across our value chain, while leveraging our global presence and values-led culture to positively influence outcomes. This is supported by stringent supplier codes of conduct and verified through tools such as Sedex audits at manufacturing sites and targeted regional assessments. 

In 2025, we advanced our human rights due diligence programme through a pilot project focused on deeper engagement with higher-risk raw material suppliers in Brazil, with plans to expand our approach in 2026 across key supply chains, including palm and soy.

Achieving zero exploitation also requires fair and equitable value distribution. Our Living Wage commitment, certified by the Fair Wage Network in 2025, ensures all employees are paid in line with recognised living wage benchmarks. 

When innovating new ingredients, reducing reliance on extractive, high‑risk supply chains is critical. We have developed and assimilated a range of cutting-edge technologies that enable us to limit our use of traditional harvesting practices, such as our advancement of Plant Cell Culture technology.

Together, these data‑driven, verified, and innovation‑led approaches demonstrate how zero exploitation principles can be embedded into the design, sourcing and delivery of beauty; ensuring respect at every stage.
 

EXPLORE OUR RESPONSIBLE SOURCING APPROACH

Learn how our due diligence programme, robust supplier code of conduct and our own values-led principles can support your business and the value chain you rely on.

Talk to our experts about beauty products built with respect.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

zero exploitation Description

Since 2019, Croda Le Perray (our Beauty Actives division) have had 15 field verifications performed by the Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) within our botanicals supply chain. UEBT members, including Croda Le Perray which became a member in 2020, commit to ensuring that their sourcing practices gradually advance sustainable business growth, local development, and biodiversity conservation.

Croda is committed to upholding human rights across all operations, ensuring they are respected globally in line with key international standards including the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the ILO’s Fundamental Conventions. Croda’s Human Rights policy can be found here.

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