Human Rights in the Supply Chain

We are firmly committed to responsible sourcing throughout our supply chain. We believe that our customers care not only about the value of our products, but also about how those products are produced. To that end, we view addressing human rights and other critical issues in our supply chain as both a business imperative and a sustainability priority, and have established standards for our suppliers to follow when conducting business with us and to help us identify and manage potential risks.

Our Commitment to Human Rights

We want to do business with those who share our commitment to conducting business in a legally compliant and ethical manner. Consistent with this commitment, we want to do business with those who share our ethical culture and values.

As defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination.

At Dover, we work to ensure we do not experience instances of human rights violations in our supply chain, including those related to modern slavery, which is a term used to describe human rights issues such as forced labor, bonded labor, the worst forms of child labor, human trafficking, and slavery-like practices.

Supply Chain Management

We drive supply chain responsibility, including for issues related to human rights, by requiring that all our suppliers comply with our Supplier Code of Conduct ("Supplier Code"). The Supplier Code establishes our expectations regarding workplace standards and business practices for our suppliers and aligns closely with our Dover Code of Conduct.

Our Supplier Code requires our suppliers to comply with applicable laws and regulations related to human rights topics such as equal employment opportunities, discrimination and harassment, freedom of association, child and forced labor, slavery, human trafficking, and health and safety. In addition to human rights, the Supplier Code sets forth policies for suppliers to follow in addressing our expectations regarding environmental responsibility, product compliance, anti-bribery and anti-corruption, trade compliance, fair dealing, conflicts of interest, anti-money laundering, conflict minerals, protection of confidential information, data security and privacy, safety, and ethical employment practices and non-discrimination.

Our Supplier Code states that each supplier must comply with all laws and regulations applicable to its business in the countries where it does business. While laws, regulations, business practices, and customs can vary greatly from one country to the next, the Supplier Code sets forth the minimum requirements that all our suppliers must meet. In addition, we make it clear that suppliers may report any ethical or legal concerns through our Global Hotline. Our supply chain teams proactively reach out and engage with suppliers, reviewing the Code of Conduct with them to confirm their understanding and acknowledgement of our practices.

Our Supplier Code also includes environmental sustainability expectations for our suppliers. For more information, please visit our Environmentally Responsible Sourcing webpage.

Transparency in Supply Chain Disclosure

Many of our operating companies include a “Transparency in Supply Chain Disclosure” statement on their websites in accordance with applicable laws that affirms our commitment to oppose the use of forced, bonded, involuntary, prison, or indentured labor.

We train our supply chain employees annually on the need to be aware of modern slavery risks and the red flags that may help identify potential violations. In 2022, greater than 99% of supply chain employees completed the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act online training course. Our supply chain employees are expected to stay vigilant about these issues and report any suspicious activity to management so that it can be addressed.

Additionally, we utilize a supplier evaluation scorecard which evaluates supplier health, safety, and quality practices, including not using child labor.

For third parties who provide goods and services to us and our operating companies, we utilize a comprehensive compliance vetting program to ensure we conduct business only with suppliers who share our commitment to the values and principles in the Supplier Code. For more information on our third party vetting program, please visit our Ethics and Compliance webpage. 

Our Policy on Conflict Minerals

As part of our commitment to responsible sourcing and managing possible human rights related issues in our supply chain and business, we enacted a Conflict Minerals Policy.

Our Conflict Minerals Policy reflects the requirements of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Act”), which aims to prevent the use of Conflict Minerals that directly or indirectly finance or benefit armed groups in The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) or an adjoining country as defined in the Act. “Conflict Minerals” include tantalum, tin, gold, tungsten, or their derivatives. The Act requires our company to perform due diligence with respect to the sourcing of Conflict Minerals and to report annually on our potential use of Conflict Minerals and origin of such minerals.

We expect our suppliers to follow our Conflict Minerals Policy and implement a process to reasonably assure that Conflict Minerals contained in the products they provide to us do not perpetrate human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) or an adjoining country.