We remain committed to our founders’ values of quality, service and fair dealing, which contribute to our success on a daily basis. Although business conditions change with time, our high ethical standards remain constant.

To secure the trust of our shareholders, employees and other interested parties, we must manage our business responsibly. This means identifying and managing risks to our success as well as seizing opportunities.

Our board of directors and senior management are accountable for ensuring good corporate governance. K-C’s board of directors has 11 independent members, in accordance with the New York Stock Exchange listing standards. Our Chairman and CEO is the only board member not considered independent. Our Audit, Nominating and Corporate Governance, and Management Development and Compensation Committees consist entirely of independent board members. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee periodically reviews our Corporate Governance Policies. Our Code of Conduct and corporate policies inform our employees that we expect consistent, ethical behavior and compliance with applicable laws. The Code of Conduct and corporate policies apply worldwide.

Employees can report violations on our corporate intranet site. Employees in 55 countries can also report violations of the Code using an anonymous, 24-hour telephone hotline.

Each year, we survey our employees to reinforce the importance of the Code, and to ensure they recognize unethical behavior and know how to report misconduct. The anonymous survey is carried out by a third party to maintain independence and reassure employees that K-C managers will not see their responses.