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Ethics is Knowing the difference between wrong and right.

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Nutelle false advertising ethical or non-ethical? 

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Nutelle false advertising ethical or non-ethical? 

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Nutella was advertised as part of a nutritious breakfast for children. It has 21 grams of sugar to each serving. Was this ethical to label as a breakfast food to gain money?

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The headline that caught my eye - " Nutella settles lawsuit" - took me back instantly to memories of slathering the product on real French bread. It was convenient. You spread it on like peanut butter, but it tasted so much better: chocolate with just the right essence of hazelnut.

Back then, it was touted as an after-school treat for European kids and hard to find in the United States. Now, it's marketed increasingly for breakfast for American children. That's what got its maker, Italy's Ferrero Group (which also makes Ferrero Chocolates and Tic Tacs), into trouble with US courts.

Advertised as a way to get children to eat a healthy breakfast, Ferrero was insinuating that Nutella was healthy when, in fact, it has about as much nutritional value as a candy bar. Or so claimed several consumers, who sued the company's US unit.

As part of its settlement of two class-action suits, Ferrero U.S.A. Inc. is offering to reimburse consumers for up to five jars (at $4 a jar). Since it doesn't appear you need any receipts, it's one of the easiest $20 you can make. You can apply here.
Your actual reward could amount to less than $20, because so many people may apply for the $3.05 million available. But I'm not sure I'll be one of those people.

Our family is certainly entitled to the money. My daughter has become a big fan, so we bought far more than five jars of Nutella between the court-specified period of Jan. 1, 2008, to Feb. 3, 2012 (Aug. 1, 2009, to Jan. 23, 2012. for those in California, where one of the suits was filed).

And while we were never duped into thinking Nutella was health food, some food companies are so cavalier about enhancing the appeal of their products with words like "natural" that maybe Ferrero deserves to be made to pay. Call it social justice. Or punitive damages.

But here's the thing: Ferrero doesn't appear to be a rapacious megacorporation. It looks to be run like a conscientious family-run business.

The company issued its first social responsibility report two years before the first lawsuits were filed. This year it stopped advertising to audiences where more than half of the viewers or readers are under 12; next year, no more than 35 percent of the audience can be under 12. It has started a training program with USAID for hazelnut growers in the country of Georgia. Last year, one of its two managing directors (and a grandson of the founder) died during a humanitarian mission to South Africa. By 2020, the company aims to supply all its cocoa, palm oil, and coffee from sustainable farms.

These are not the moves of a company with a single-minded focus on the bottom line.

And the ads that helped convince several judges there was a case against Ferrero? Here's the transcript of one TV ad from court documents:

"[MOM]: As a mom, I'm a great believer in Nutella, a delicious hazelnut spread that I use to get mykids to eat healthy foods. I spread a little on all kinds of healthy things, like multigrain toast. Everyjar has wholesome, quality ingredients, like hazelnuts, skim milk, and a hint of delicious cocoa. AndNutella has no artificial colors or preservatives. It's quick, it's easy, and at breakfast I can use all thehelp I can get.
[VOICEOVER]: Nutella-breakfast never tasted this good."

Does that qualify as deception? You be the judge. I'm not applying for the money.

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Nutella settles lawsuit. You can get $20.

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The headline that caught my eye - " Nutella settles lawsuit" - took me back instantly to memories of slathering the product on real French bread. It was convenient. You spread it on like peanut butter, but it tasted so much better: chocolate with just the right essence of hazelnut.

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TOMS as a company not only sells shoes but when you buy a pair of shoes they give a pair of shoes to those in need of them.

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TOMS® Official Site | The One for One® Company

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With every product you purchase, TOMS will help a person in need. One for One®.

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What are 10 or more personal codes of ethics?:

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What are 10 or more personal codes of ethics?:

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1. No labeling unless you have all the information
2. Stay open-minded to new ideas
3. Be selfless
4. NO discrimination
5. Give back to the community
6. Be tolerant of your peers
7. Always be confident when working and applying ideas
8. Always Respect everyone and there choices.
9. Give empathy to those who are struggling
10. Cooperate when things are difficult.

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Nestle uses child labor but not only that they false advertise to uneducated mothers about there products.

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Child labor, unethical promotion, manipulating uneducated mothers, pollution, price fixing and mislabeling - those are not words you want to see associated with your company. Nestle is the world's largest foodstuff company, and it has a history that would make even hardcore industrialists shiver. We're gonna look at why Nestle has such a bad reputation and whether or not it deserves it.

Introduction

People love to hate, and they really love to hate on big companies - whether or not they have a reason to. I especially dislike it when the latter happens. Companies (big companies included) are the very backbone of our economy, and they often get a bad rep for little or no reason. But sometimes there is a reason, or as in this case, several solid reasons, as we'll see below. Which brings me to the next point: why are we writing this article? ZME Science is a science website (crazy, right?), and this is not strictly science, at least not in the way our regular articles are. But we also write about environmental issues, especially when they affect many of us, and especially when we can make a difference.

Nestle is a Swiss multinational food and beverage company. According to Wikipedia, their products include baby food, bottled water, breakfast cereals, coffee and tea, confectionery, dairy products, ice cream, frozen food, pet foods, and snacks. Twenty-nine of their brands have sales of over $1 billion a year and have over 8,000 brands. They have 447 factories across 194 countries and employ around 333,000 people. They truly are what you would call a giant. They're also considered to be one of the best employers in Europe with six LEED certifications and sponsor numerous activities and sustainable projects. Looking at only these stats, it would seem that Nestle is one of the "good guys"... but then why are they so hated? Let's take it step by step.

Baby Formula and Boycott

We're in the '90s, and this is a sad story about poverty, breastfeeding, and greed. Nestle aggressively pushed their breastfeeding formula in less economically developed countries (LEDCs), specifically targeting the poor. They made it seem that their infant formula was almost as good as a mother's milk, which is highly unethical for several reasons.

The first problem was the need for water sanitation. Most of the groups they were targeting - especially in Africa - didn't have access to clean water (many don't to this day), so it was necessary for them to boil the water. But due to low literacy rates, many mothers were not aware of this, so they mixed the formula with polluted water which put the children at great risks. Nestle seems to have knowingly ignored this and encouraged mothers to use the formula even when they knew the risks. Breastfeeding, one of the most important aspects for an infant, especially in unsanitized areas, was cast aside. Baby formula was "the nearest thing in the world", and this "splendid triumph of care and science" is "so like mother's milk that the tiny stomach won't notice the difference". But the tiny stomach did notice the difference.

"Breastfeeding is unparalleled in providing the ideal food for infants.The optimal way to feed a baby is exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months followed by breastfeeding combined with complementary foods until the child is two years old..." - a 2007 Save the Children report.

Many mothers were able to read in their native language but were still unable to read the language in which sterilization directions were written. Even if mothers understood the need to boil the water, they might not have had the facilities to do so. UNICEF estimates that a formula-fed child living in disease-ridden and unhygienic conditions is between 6 and 25 times more likely to die of diarrhea and four times more likely to die of pneumonia than a breastfed child. Another problem was that mothers tended to use less formula than needed - to make the jar last longer, resulting in many infants receiving inadequate amounts.

But even if the water was boiled, and even if the formula was administered in the right proportion and in the right quantity, it is lacking in many of the nutrients and antibodies that breast milk provides. Breast milk contains the required amount of the nutrients essential for neuronal (brain and nerve) development, and to some extent, protects the baby from many diseases and potential infections. According to the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), Nestle used unethical methods to promote their infant formula to poor mothers in developing countries. But it gets even worse.

IBFAN claims that Nestle distributes free formula samples to hospitals and maternity wards; after leaving the hospital, the formula is no longer free, but because the supplementation has interfered with lactation, the family must continue to buy the formula. Nestle denies those allegations... sort of.

"Nestlé takes reports on non-compliance with the WHO Code very seriously and we have endeavored to investigate all allegations brought to our attention, despite the fact that in many cases we are not provided with accurate details substantiating the accusations. This makes it difficult for us to investigate how, where and when the alleged infringement could have occurred. Some of the allegations are several years old before they are brought to public attention, which also could complicate the investigation."

Health experts were concerned from the very start. It's been known for quite a while that bottle-feeding infants in impoverished tropical environments, with limited sanitation and refrigeration, can be a recipe for disaster. But Nestlé's asked that critics should focus on doing something to improve unsafe water supplies, which contributed to the health problems associated with bottle feeding. They also later used this approach to promote their bottled water, using their huge marketing budget to influence people's behavior, while avoiding denying any direct responsibility.

Today, several countries and organizations are still boycotting Nestle, despite their claims to be in compliance with WHO regulations. There's even a committee, the International Nestlé Boycott Committee that monitors their practices. Several universities and student organizations have also joined the boycott, especially in the UK.

More recently, the company has also been under head for a study on breastmilk substitutes in India. India's apex medical research authority asked the company to stop paying study participants, which included pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.

It's not clear how many lives that were lost directly and indirectly due to this aggressive marketing campaign, and of course, Nestle does not claim responsibility for these tragedies. But it was easy for them, as it was easy for everybody to see the risks and the negative effects their formula was having. It was easy for them to save many lives, but they chose the money instead. Profits before children -- check. Let's move on.

Nestle and Water

Few people know it, but Nestle is actually the world's largest producer of bottled water. In fact, they're so keen on their water business (which also involves many of their other products), that they believe water isn't a universal right. Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe said:

"There are two different opinions on the matter [or water]. The one opinion, which I think is extreme, is represented by the NGOs, who bang on about declaring water a public right. That means that as a human being you should have a right to water. That's an extreme solution."

Having access to water is not an extreme solution. It's what we have called a basic need for centuries. Even Brabeck, after the media attack that followed, backed down. He said that he "believes that water is a human right" and "advocates for universal access to safe drinking water". But his actions, as well as Nestle's actions, show that that's just greenwashing.

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At the second World Water Forum in 2000, Nestle pushed for making access to drinking water from a "right" to a "need," a defining change. Meanwhile, Nestle drains the aquifers it controls as much as possible, without any regards to sustainable usage or environmental concerns. A recent case is the California drought - an issue without precedent in the past 1,200 years. But Nestle doesn't care. Even as Starbucks recently announced they would transfer their Ethos water bottling facility from California to Pennsylvania, Nestle CEO Tim Brown said: "Absolutely not. In fact, if I could increase [water bottling operations], I would."

Yes, if he could, he'd increase water bottling operations, even though Nestle has been working without a permit since 1988. Inhabitat reports that the company has been sourcing its water from the San Bernardino National Forest without a permit and they've been recently been bumped to the front of the queue for permit renewal (which will take around 18 months), and they can keep working in the meantime as long as they pay a laughable $524 annual fee. Also, California doesn't know how much water Nestle uses, because they have no legal grounds for making the company divulge this information, and Nestle hasn't published any reports. An independent analysis puts all their water usage at 1 billion gallons a year.

Arguably, that's not much when you considering that 500 billion gallons of water that will be saved under Gov. Brown's new water restrictions, but there's something absurd and immoral about a private company using as much water as they want while the rest of the state is facing severe restrictions.

But other areas in the world have it even worse than California.

In the small Pakistani community of Bhati Dilwan, a former village councilor says children are being sickened by filthy water. Who's to blame? He says it's bottled water maker Nestle, which dug a deep well that is depriving locals of potable water.

"The water is not only very dirty, but the water level sank from 100 to 300 to 400 feet," Dilwan says. (source)

Indeed, unsustainable usage of aquifer water can lead to a significant decrease in water levels, and can even exhaust the aquifer. That's right, underground water isn't the inexhaustible source many people believe it to be. In the case of Bhati Dilwan, people are getting sick because if the community had fresh water piped in, it would deprive Nestle of its money source - bottled water under the Pure Life brand. Greedily using natural resources for profits? Check.

But when Nestle isn't trying to privatize water or use it without regards to the environment, it's simply bottling... tap water. A Chicago-based business has sued the company (again), claiming that the five gallon jugs of Ice Mountain Water they bought were nothing else than tap water. It may come as a shock to you, but nearly half of the bottled water in PET plastic bottles is actually from a tap - though Nestle never advertised this. They know what's likely going to happen though, as this is almost a dress rehearsal of a previous scandal. Twelve years ago Nestle Waters was sued over allegation of false labeling, and ultimately settled for $10 million in charitable contributions and discounts.

More recently, Nestle expressed their concern to the city of Flint, Michigan, which was undergoing a massive water crisis at the time -- a crisis which still takes a toll to this day. Meanwhile, the company was using nearby water reserves for their own bottled water products. Nestle was bottling hundreds of thousands of bottles, paying only $200 to use this natural reserve.

Child labor, abuse, and trafficking

Most people love chocolate, but few know the dirty deals behind chocolate production. The 2010 documentary The Dark Side of Chocolate brought attention to purchases of cocoa beans from Ivorian plantations that use child slave labour. The children are usually 12 to 15 years old, and some are trafficked from nearby countries - and Nestle is no stranger to this practice.

In 2005, the cocoa industry was, for the first time, under the spotlight. The International Labor Rights Fund filed a lawsuit against Nestle (among others) on behalf of three Malian children. The suit alleged the children were trafficked to Côte d'Ivoire, forced into slavery, and experienced frequent beatings on a cocoa plantation. In 2010, the US District Court for the Central District of California determined corporations cannot be held liable for violations of international law and dismissed the suit - a controversial decision which has since been appealed. But even if Nestle wasn't legally liable for these abuses, they are, at least morally. But that wasn't the only case of this kind.

A report by an independent auditor, the Fair Labor Association (FLA), says it found "multiple serious violations" of the company's own supplier code. It was reported that Nestle hadn't carried out checks against child labor and abuse. Additionally, many injuries caused by machetes, which are used to harvest cocoa pods, have been reported. Nestle's excuse can be summed up broadly as 'everybody does it':

"The use of child labour in our cocoa supply chain goes against everything we stand for," says Nestle's Executive Vice-President for Operations Jose Lopez. "No company sourcing cocoa from the Ivory Coast can guarantee that it doesn't happen, but we can say that tackling child labour is a top priority for our company."

The FLA reported that Nestle was fully aware of where their cocoa was coming from and under what conditions, but did little to improve conditions. Child slavery and abuse? Check.

Health Threats

In July 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned consumers to avoid eating any varieties of prepackaged Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough due to risk of contamination with E. coli O157:H7 (a foodborne bacterium that causes illness). In the US, it caused sickness in more than 50 people in 30 states, half of whom required hospitalization. In particular, one woman had a fatal infection before the batch was reclaimed.

"The fact that our product was implicated in Linda Rivera's 2009 illness and tragic passing was obviously of grave concern to all of us at Nestle," the company said in a statement. "Since then, we have implemented more stringent testing and inspection of raw materials and finished product to ensure the product meets our high quality standards," which sort of makes you wonder - why weren't stringent testing and inspections implemented in the first place?

But this is just a minor incident compared to the 2008 Chinese Milk Scandal. Six infants were killed and 860 were hospitalized with kidney problems after Nestle products were contaminated with melamine, a substance sometimes illegally added to food products to increase their apparent protein content.

In October 2008, Taiwan Health ministry announced that six types of milk powders produced in China by Nestlé contained low-level traces of melamine and were removed from the shelves.

The scandal quickly escalated, with China reporting over 300,000 victims, raising concerns about the security of major food companies operating in China. Two people were executed and several life prison sentences were issued, with the World Health Organization (WHO) referring to the incident as one of the largest food safety events it has had to deal with in recent years.

Nestle denied implication and claimed that all its products are clean, but the Taiwan government linked their products to toxic melamine. As a response, Nestle says it has sent 20 specialists from Switzerland to five of its Chinese plants to strengthen chemical testing.

As with any "respectable" large company, Nestle has been involved in several incidents regarding pollution. A 1997 report found that in the UK, over a 12 month period, water pollution limits were breached 2,152 times in 830 locations by companies that included Cabdury and Nestle. But again, the situation in China was much worse.

While people in the US and Europe are slowly becoming more environmentally concerned and some are opting for more sustainable sources of water, Nestle has moved to another market - Asia. Alongside companies such as Kraft or Shell, Nestle made several environmental violations.

Nestle Sources Shanghai Ltd's bottled water manufacturing plant also made the list for starting operation before its wastewater treatment facilities had passed an environmental impact assessment.

"These are only some of the water pollution violations committed by multinational companies in China, since our website has yet to cover information about air and solid waste pollution," said Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs. "The parent companies in their home countries are models for environmental protection. But they have slackened their efforts in China."

Another article claims that Nestle capitalizes on China's already-polluted waters to make a good profit, while Corporate Watch highlights the fact that Nestle continues to extract water illegally from Brazil for their Perrier brand. Although Nestlé lost the legal action, pumping continues as it gets through the appeal procedures, something which can take ten years or more.

Ethiopian Debt

In 2002, Nestle made what turned out to be a colossal error: demanding that Ethiopia pay them back a debt of US$6 million. There's nothing wrong with that per se... if Ethiopia wasn't facing extreme famine at the time. For a company that has 29 brands that make over $1 billion a year, asking a famine-stricken country to pay you back 6 million seems questionable, to say the least.

Nestle's claim dates back to the 1970s when the military regime in Addis Ababa seized the assets of foreign companies.

The public roar came almost overnight; with the company receiving 40,000 letters from outraged people, in one of the most famous cases of public opinion beat corporate greed. In the end, Nestle took a U-turn, settling for a partial debt which was also invested in the country's bouncing back from famine. For Nestle, who initially insisted that the compensation issue was "a matter of principle" and that it was in the best interest of Addis Ababa to settle the demand to repair its record with foreign investors, it was a huge moral defeat. For analysts, it was an exciting case which showed that even giants can falter in the face of public opinion.

"This is a welcome result because it shows that Nestle is not immune to public pressure," said Phil Bloomer, a senior policy analyst.

A Deal With Mugabe

Striking dubious partnerships to make a profit seems to be a recurring theme. The Swiss multinational made a deal with the wife of the infamous dictator from Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe, buying 1 million liters of milk a year from a farm seized from its rightful owners by Grace Mugabe

Grace has taken over at least six of Zimbabwe's most valuable white-owned farms since 2002, building a farming empire from illegally confiscated farms, which led to an international boycott, as well as EU and US sanctions. She is known for her ridiculously lavish lifestyle, which includes overseeing the construction of two luxuriant castles. In 2014, she was given a doctorate diploma only three months after signing up for the program. Nestle went forward with the deal though, even as the country's agriculture-based economy was collapsing and inflation was reaching unheard of levels.

Price Fixing

In Canada, the Competition Bureau raided the offices of Nestlé Canada (along with those of Hershey Canada Inc. and Mars Canada Inc) in an investigation on price fixing. Nestlé and the other companies were subject to class-action lawsuits and ultimately settled for $9 million, without actually admitting liability. Furthermore, former president and chief executive officer of Nestle Canada is facing criminal charges.

In the US, another, larger trial was rejected, because even though it was plausible that the same thing happened in the US, there was no clear evidence of any foul play. The suspicion remained however and still lingers with the company.

Promoting Unhealthy Food and Mislabeling

That Nestle is promoting unhealthy food should come as no surprise, but the level at which they operate it is simply staggering. A recent report by the UK Consumers Association claims that 7 out of the 15 breakfast cereals with the highest levels of sugar, fat, and salt were Nestle products.

"Nestlé claims to be 'the world's leading nutrition, health, and wellness company', but when it comes to food marketing to kids, Nestlé is a laggard, not a leader," said CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan.

Nestle dismissed all responsibility in promoting healthy food. To pour even more salt in the foods wound, mister Brabeck came out with a dismissive interview in the Telegraph, claiming that he is not obese yet 'every morning I have a tablet of dark chocolate as my breakfast' and that it is the perfect balance and contains everything he needs for the day. Hey, after all, who would actually think that Nestle's cereals are healthy, right?

But while Nestle's labels aren't simply misleading, they have also been downright false. In November 2002, police ordered Nestle Colombia to decommission 200 tons of imported powdered milk, because they were falsely relabeled, not only as a different, local brand, but also with a different production date. A month later another 120 tons suffered the same fate, causing uproar among the Colombian population.

Nestle bringing old powdered milk from a different country and labeling as local and new is not only unethical and illegal, but it poses health hazards for consumers.

Drawing the Line

All major companies have incidents, accidents and scandals. When you have so many people working for you, it's virtually impossible to maintain a clean sheet. Someone will eventually screw up, someone will eventually do something they should. As I was preparing to write this article, a friend actually asked me if other companies don't have a similar record, and advised me to look at Mars, for example. What I found was that Mars and other big companies have indeed had their share of scandals (sometimes the same ones as Nestle), but not nearly on the same scale. Nestle has shown, time and time again, that they have few ethics and little interest in a real social responsibility. From promoting their formula to uneducated African mothers to lying about production dates, to using water without a permit to dealing with ruthless dictators, they have often gone the extra mile to make an extra profit - even when the extra mile meant hurting people, directly or indirectly.

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Why Nestle is one of the most hated companies in the world

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Child labor, unethical promotion, manipulating uneducated mothers, pollution, price fixing and mislabeling - those are not words you want to see associated with your company. Nestle is the world's largest foodstuff company, and it has

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Apple uses children to create there products they are forced to work in dangerous conditions, inhaling cancerous vapors, for 10 hours a day, seven days a week

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Everyone wants an iPhone and no one really cares if it were made by tiny child slaves who are forced to work in dangerous conditions, inhaling cancerous vapors, for 10 hours a day, seven days a week. And that is why Apple continues to be so profitable.

But as beautiful as their products are, the production side of their business is a dark, horrific and unethical one. Apple manufacturer Foxconn is like hell on earth. Conditions at this plant are so miserable that "anti-suicide nets" had to be installed beneath the windows after a whopping 17 employees leapt to their deaths in protests of the horrific things they had to endure on a daily basis.

Living quarters like tiny college dorms in a gigantic beehive type factory, each crammed with crappy bunk beds. Exhausting hours, humiliating discipline, unreasonable workloads, and pressure to reduce overtime resulting in lower paychecks are just some of the crappy conditions faced by thousands of Foxconn employees on a daily basis.

The controversy began in 2006 and is still happening today. And while Apple has made efforts to branch out and use some different manufacturers to produce their products, unethical Foxconn is still their go-to company.

Besides using Foxconn, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak claimed that Apple was engaging in unethical tax practices by utilizing an Irish tax loophole to avoid paying billions in taxes on international sales.
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Everyone wants an iPhone and no one really cares if it were made by tiny child slaves who are forced to work in dangerous conditions, inhaling cancerous vapors, for 10 hours a day, seven days a week. And that is why Apple continues to be so profitable.

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Starbucks helping the environment, ethical!!!

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Starbucks helping the environment, ethical!!!

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Even though Starbucks has its flaws it also practices very ethical practices from reducing the water it uses for its dipper well to using recycled paper in its cups.

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Between the cutthroat competition and questionable actions taken in order to extend profit margins, it's pretty easy to paint the corporate world in a negative light. However, there are plenty of companies out there that hold themselves to a higher standard and show respect for the world around them. From having the best employee benefits to the championing of education and the environment, this list honors the companies with stellar moral practices.

10. Salesforce.com
For years, Salesforce.com ( NYSE:CRM) has been honored for its philanthropy and good practices. Through its Salesforce.com Foundation, the company has donated millions of dollars toward education grants and technology, and even discounts its services to non-profit organizations. The company also encourages its employees to get into the action by giving them six days off per year to do any type of charitable work they choose. Saleforce.com frequently ranks highly on lists of companies offering the best salaries and hourly rates for employees.

9. Starbucks
While some may argue that Starbucks ( NASDAQ:SBUX) has no place on this list due to its competition-crushing business practices, the company's bad press shouldn't outshine what it does for society. While it isn't perfect, the company is often quick to fix its environmental problems, from greatly reducing the water it uses for its dipper well to using recycled paper in its cups. The company also encourages consumers to be environmentally conscious by offering a 10-cent discount to those who bring their own reusuable cups and giving free coffee grounds to consumers who want to use them for compost. Starbucks is also dedicated to its baristas, offering them full health insurance benefits and stock awards. In addition, like another controversial company on this list, the company is also a vocal advocate of same-sex marriage.

7. Ultimate Software
Another company that enjoys hero status for its treatment of its employees is Ultimate Software ( NASDAQ:ULTI). Every year the company rises in the ranks as one of the best companies to work for because of perks like the 100% free health care it offers its employees, including complete coverage for all their dependents. The company also gives its employees an all-expenses paid vacation every two years. Ultimate Software is enjoys a great deal of diversity in its hiring practices -- at least 46% of its staff are women, and 33% are minorities.

6. NuStar Energy
It's not often that oil companies are thought of as ethical, but NuStar's Energy ( NYSE:NS) treatment of its employees regularly lands it on lists of the best companies to work for. The company pays 100% of its workers' health insurance premium, and even matches 401(k) contributions up to 6%. In addition, the company has a strict no-layoffs policy, and lends its employees the corporate jet in times of crisis. Although it would have placed higher if it was a little greener, NuStar's commitment to its people is truly an example of its ethical policies.

5. SAS Institute
SAS Institute is another software company that is renowned for its employee benefits. Employees at SAS receive subsidized Montessori child care, unlimited sick time, and access to a free health center. The company also fosters a strong sense of community; its staff has intramural sports leagues, and the company has never had a layoff. SAS also supports education philanthropy, particularly programs that are dedicated to promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs for children. The company also encourages its employees to volunteer at various charities and even makes cash contributions to non-profit programs where the employees volunteer.

4. Patagonia
While most winter and outdoor clothing companies advocate environmentalism to some degree, Patagonia is dedicated enough to the cause to let it seriously affect its bottom line. In 1985, the company started the 1% for the Planet pledge and has consistently asked other companies to join it in donating 1% of its sales to help save the environment. Even more impressive is the fact that Patagonia, aware of the impact its business has on the environment, has frequently asked its consumers to refrain from buying its products if they don't really need them

3. Intel
Since 1988, the computer chip manufacturer Intel ( NASDAQ:INTC) has been trying to bolster its reputation through its efforts to strengthen technological education. Through the Intel Foundation, the company hosts the Intel Science Talent Search and the international Science and Engineering Fair to help encourage STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education for young people. Intel is also interested in making these areas more diverse; the company has many donation funds and programs to encourage girls and underprivileged minorities to study in these fields. Employees of Intel also experience the company's dedication to education through a very strange corporate perk -- the company promotes or reassigns them to different fields and areas every 16 to 24 months, in the interest of making sure that workers never become bored with their roles, and encouraging them to explore new fields. Accepted employees are often told, "Welcome to your next five jobs."

2. Microsoft
Given the fact that it was started by Bill Gates, one of America's most generous philanthropists, it follows that Microsoft ( NASDAQ:MSFT) would do well in following his example. The tech company and its employees donate over $1 billion yearly to charities and non-profit organizations. If that wasn't enough, Microsoft's management and employee's have also decided to tackle America's IT professionals shortage through its TEALS program. Through the TEALS program, Microsoft employees are encouraged to volunteer at local schools to instruct students in computer science, in the hopes that it will inspire them to enter the technology industry. It's only natural that Microsoft employees would be generous people; in addition to being among the highest paid employees in America, they also enjoy a plethora of perks, including 100% coverage on their health care premiums.

1. Google
Although some may criticize the company, Google ( NASDAQ:GOOG) regularly makes good on its motto: "Don't be evil." Through its Google Green Program, the company has donated over $1 billion to renewable energy projects, and has decreased its own footprint by using energy efficient buildings and public transportation. The company is also a staunch advocate of free speech, which can be observed from its frequent conflicts with the Chinese government. Google is also an open supporter of gay rights. Yet all this pales in comparison to Google's status as a paragon for employee benefits. Just to name a few, Google employees have access to free health care and treatment from on-site doctors, free legal advice with discounted legal services, a fully stock snack pantry and onsite cafeteria (staffed by world-class chefs, no less), and a free on-site nursery. With such a stellar record of social awareness and positive employee relations, Google is easily the best example of ethics in the corporate world today.

See also: Pride at Work: Best Companies for Gay Rights in Canada and the US.

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good business: corporations with great ethical policies

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Good Business: 10 Companies With Ethical Corporate Policies

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Between the cutthroat competition and questionable actions taken in order to extend profit margins, it's pretty easy to paint the corporate world in a negative light. However, there are plenty of companies out there that hold themselves to a higher standard and show respect for the world around them.

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Dells core value is winning with integrity while having courage, they always take accountability for everything, they always do things in the best interest of there customers.

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Achievement for third consecutive year recognizes:

Dell's core value of winning with integrity

Dell's continued focus on accountability across all levels of the company

Dell's high ethical standards and commitment to conducting business in the best interest of customers, suppliers and partners

Dell today announced that it has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices as a 2016 World's Most Ethical Company®.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of Ethisphere and the World's Most Ethical Companies designation, which recognizes those companies who align principle with action, work tirelessly to make trust part of their corporate DNA, and in doing so, shape future industry standards by introducing tomorrow's best practices today.

Dell has been recognized for three consecutive years. Dell is one of only four companies in the Technology category, underscoring their commitment to leading ethical business standards and practices.

I'm proud of our team members worldwide who act ethically and in the best interest of our customers every day," said Michael Dell, chairman and CEO of Dell. "We're thrilled for Dell to be recognized as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies."

"Doing the right thing, and winning the right way is personal at Dell. It's the way we do business," said Michael McLaughlin, Dell's chief ethics and compliance officer. "This award, and the other recognition Dell has received, recognizes Dell's commitment to integrity and our promise to continue to strive to live our purpose and values in all we do."

"From its leadership structure and governance practices to its environmental efforts and employee engagement, Dell takes their role as a corporate citizen seriously," said Ethisphere Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Erblich. "Innovation and their long-term goals for social and environmental change are efforts we support and encourage and align with our goal of improving the human condition. Congratulations to everyone at Dell for being recognized as a 2016 World's Most Ethical Company."

The award from the Ethisphere Institute adds to previous Dell corporate governance recognition. The company in 2013 was presented the Principled Performance Award by OCEG, an industry-leading, non-profit think tank dedicated to assisting companies in achieving their governance, risk and compliance objectives, and in 2014, Dell received an innovation award from TRACE for Dell's innovative third-party program.

Dell is committed to a culture of integrating ethics and compliance into daily decision-making. Dell believes acting ethically in all we do is good business and important to our customers, suppliers and strategic partners. As a result, critical programs have been developed to address key risks across the enterprise. These programs operate under the oversight of the Dell Global Risk and Compliance Council (GRCC), which includes members of the Dell Executive Leadership Team and strategic functional heads such as Ethics, Audit and Accounting. This Council ensures both top-level leadership support and appropriate resources are available for Dell's risk and compliance programs, and that ethical decision-making informs strategic decision-making at the company.

Methodology & Scoring
The World's Most Ethical Company assessment is based upon the Ethisphere Institute's Ethics Quotient™ (EQ) framework developed over years of research and vetted and refined by the expert advice from Ethisphere's World's Most Ethical Company Methodology Advisory Panel. The EQ offers a quantitative way to assess a company's performance in an objective, consistent and standardized way. The information collected provides a comprehensive sampling of definitive criteria of core competencies, rather than all aspects of corporate governance, risk, sustainability, compliance and ethics.

Scores are generated in five key categories: ethics and compliance program (35%), corporate citizenship and responsibility (20%), culture of ethics (20%), governance (15%) and leadership, innovation and reputation (10%) and provided to all companies who participate in the process.

Honorees
The full list of the 2016 World's Most Ethical Companies can be found at http://worldsmostethicalcompanies.ethisphere.com/honorees/.

Best practices and insights from the 2016 honorees will be released in the form of a whitepaper and infographics over the next few months ( download the 2015 insights). Organizations interested in how they compare to the World's Most Ethical Companies are invited to participate in the Ethics Quotient.

Dell Inc. listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services that give them the power to do more. For more information, visit www.dell.com.

About the Ethisphere Institute
The Ethisphere® Institute is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust and business success. Ethisphere has deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its World's Most Ethical Companies ® recognition program, provides a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) and showcases trends and best practices in ethics with the publication of Ethisphere magazine. More information about Ethisphere can be found at: http://ethisphere.com.

Ethisphere Media Contact:
Clea Nabozny

480.397.2658

Clea.Nabozny@ethisphere.com

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Achievement for third consecutive year recognizes: Dell's core value of winning with integrity Dell's continued focus on accountability across all levels of the company Dell's high ethical standards and commitment to conducting business in the best interest of customers, suppliers and partners Dell today announced that it has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices as a 2016 World's Most Ethical Company® .