We have a global approach to tax that is consistent with IHG’s broader commitments of doing business responsibly and upholding the highest ethical standards.
The actions we’re taking to deliver our Journey to Tomorrow commitments contribute to the protection of our planet’s biodiversity – whether that’s by reducing the consumption of energy and water at our hotels, minimising the use of single-use items or engaging with suppliers that are driving positive change.
We encourage our hotels to operate with respect for their surroundings, and participate in conservation initiatives to safeguard local flora and fauna, restoring nature where possible. We also encourage suppliers to take steps to support biodiversity conservation and regeneration, including in our Supplier Code of Conduct.
We aim to protect and preserve biodiversity in areas where our hotels and offices are situated. We have used the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT) to map the level of risk to biodiversity in the areas where our hotels are located and those with the largest exposure to biodiversity risk.
IHG is committed to operating with integrity. Colleagues are not permitted to engage in bribery or any form of financial crime, including fraud, money laundering, violations or circumvention of economic and trade sanctions and tax evasion or the facilitation of tax evasion. This standard also applies to agents, consultants and other service providers who do work on our behalf. Our Anti-Bribery Policy sets out our zero tolerance approach and is applicable to all Directors, Executive Committee members, employees and colleagues in managed, owned, leased and managed lease hotels. It is accompanied by anti-bribery content in our mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning module. Our Gifts and Entertainment Policy and guidance further support our approach in this area.
IHG had previously committed to sourcing 100% cage-free eggs throughout our US, Canadian and European operations by 2022. Our ability to source cage-free eggs was impacted by global supply chain disruption, Avian flu and the pandemic but we remain committed to sourcing cage-free eggs across our entire global estate by 2025. Progress is reported annually in our Responsible Business Report.
IHG’s Code of Conduct (Code) sets the standard for how we do business at IHG, and underpins our commitment to providing True Hospitality for Good. The Code seeks to enable colleagues to make the right decisions, in compliance with the law and IHG’s expectations about conduct. The Board, EC and all colleagues working in IHG corporate offices, reservation centres, managed, owned, leased and managed lease hotels must comply with the Code. We expect those we do business with, including our franchisees, to uphold similar principles and standards.
A cornerstone of our culture is our passion for inclusion, and our global DE&I Board and regional DE&I councils help shape actions across our markets that are aligned to our Journey to Tomorrow commitments.
Our commitment is emphasised throughout our global hiring guidelines and initiatives and is backed up by our Global Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Equal Opportunities Policy, with our work in this area revolving around a DE&I framework spanning three core areas: creating an inclusive and inspiring culture for all our people, driving gender balance globally and addressing under-representation in our leadership.
At IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG), we recognise our responsibility to protect the environment and to respect the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. Caring for our people, communities and planet is one of IHG’s key strategic priorities, and a fundamental part of the way in which we do business. Our Journey to Tomorrow responsible business plan sets out our commitments designed to have a positive impact on our business and the world around us. By meeting our responsibility to protect the environment and giving back to our communities, we deliver our purpose of True Hospitality for Good. The principles and standards that guide us in our pursuit of this plan are set out below. By implementing and adhering to this Environmental Policy, we believe we can create a better, more sustainable future for generations to come.
There are currently no casinos at any IHG company-operated hotels. Some franchised hotels have such facilities, which IHG does not control. However, we require that hotels with a casino, or which have gambling, remain compliant with all applicable laws and regulations.
We recognise that driving gender representation globally is a key component of championing a diverse culture.
The following report outlines the gender pay gap for our UK corporate employees and details the initiatives that we believe will continue to help us progress against our goals.
We are committed to ensuring that guests, loyalty programme members, colleagues, shareholders, owners and other stakeholders trust the way we manage data. As part of our privacy and information security programmes, we have standards, policies and procedures in place to manage how personal data can be used and should be protected. Our e-learning training for employees on handling information responsibly is a mandatory annual requirement and covers topics such as password and email security, using personal data in accordance with our policies and privacy commitments, how to work with vendors and transferring data securely.
IHG is committed to providing a safe, secure and healthy environment for all colleagues, guests and visitors. All operations must comply with all applicable health, safety and security laws. Beyond compliance with the law, IHG works to identify further improvements to the way safety and security risks are managed, and has mandatory Brand Safety Standards in place for all hotels globally to drive consistency in this area.
At IHG, we are committed to respecting human rights throughout our value chain, in accordance with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Guidelines for Multinational Enterprise.
Our commitment includes all internationally recognised human rights and applies globally to colleagues in all IHG corporate offices, reservation centres, and managed hotels and we expect those we do business with, including our owners, franchisees and suppliers, to prevent, mitigate and address adverse impacts on human rights.
In line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, we have engaged with internal and external stakeholders to identify eight salient human rights issues where our business activities could have the most severe impact on people: our guests, our colleagues, workers in our supply chain, and the communities in which we operate.
IHG is committed to respecting the human rights of all our colleagues, guests and the communities we operate in. This statement has been written in accordance with the requirements of the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015.
At IHG, we understand how crucial it is to operate with integrity and rigorous high standards, and to grow our business in a way that positively impacts on our environment and local communities. Across the world we are serving millions of meals each and every day and strive to ensure a balance of options across our menus that are nutritionally balanced and reflect local market expectations. For all our guests, whether travelling for business or leisure, we understand the need to offer a variety of meal options taking into account dietary requirements, local and ethical sourcing and health and wellbeing.
IHG does not make party political donations or involve itself in party political matters. See our Code of Conduct for further information on our approach.
We recognise the potential environmental and social impacts of our supply chain and the need for our suppliers to operate with the same integrity and respect as we do. To ensure this, IHG requires new corporate suppliers to confirm their acceptance of the Supplier Code of Conduct (Supplier Code) at the onboarding stage (or demonstrate that they have equivalent policies in place). It is a contractual requirement for centrally negotiated programmes in which our hotels can purchase, while recommended guidance is also provided to managed and franchised hotels when purchasing locally.
More information about how we collaborate and work with our suppliers can be found on page 17 of our Responsible Business Report.
IHG Hotels & Resorts is proud to be at the heart of thousands of communities around the world, as we strive to make a difference every day by delivering our purpose of True Hospitality for Good.
Through our Journey to Tomorrow 2030 responsible business plan, we look to make sure that as we operate and continue to grow our business around the world, we use our reach to help achieve lasting, positive change on a broader scale. Aligned to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, our plan has three pillars around people, communities and planet – and sitting at the heart of communities is a pledge to improve the lives of 30 million people through focusing on skills training, disaster response and food security.
Ensuring we meet our pledge relies not only on strong relationships with NGOs and community organisations across our regions, but also collaboration with our guests, colleagues and owners, too, including activating campaigns to enable IHG One Rewards members to donate millions of loyalty points to our charity partners.
More information about how we collaborate and work with our communities can be found on page 23 of our Responsible Business Report.
At IHG Hotels & Resorts, we use the UN Global Compact’s Ten Principles to guide our business activities. As part of our commitment, we submit and publish an annual ‘Communication on Progress’ which is accessible here.
Across IHG hotels we hope that you will feel able to report your concerns in relation to our Code of Conduct and our Policies directly to local management team or local Human Resources representative or to another appropriate local manager in the first instance, as this is often the most effective way of obtaining a response. However, for certain matters, we recognise that it may not always be appropriate to do this if you wish to find more information on how to report your concerns through our independent confidential channel which can be used by our colleagues and any person with a relationship to IHG including our suppliers and their workers, find out here.