exo-is/governance-reporting-on-listed-companies huggingface dataset:
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Findings 
Our 2022 assessment resulted in the 
identification and prioritization of 17 material 
topics that are relevant to stakeholders 
and our business. Identified topics are 
prioritized and grouped according to 
significance of impact and importance.
These 17 material topics are critical 
components of our business strategy 
and considered foundational to Ecolab’s 
business model.
Key drivers of Ecolab’s sustainability 
efforts such as water stewardship, 
climate action and health, wellness 
and safety remain high on the relative 
ranking of significance. The majority 
of topics are consistent with previous 
materiality assessments or reflect minor 
adjustments to
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across governance areas with a steep 
rise in granular topics such as pay equity, 
business ethics and business resiliency. 
Also notable is the addition of biodiversity 
protection and restoration to address 
growing attention to this aspect of 
environmental sustainability.
Higher
Lower
Importance to business
Importance to stakeholders
Higher
Pay equity
Business resiliency
Community impact
Supplier relations
Diversity, equity and inclusion
Biodiversity
Human rights
Circularity
Product sustainability
Water stewardship
Business ethics
Talent management
Health, wellness and safety
Waste management
Corporate governance
Climate action
Information security
Governance
Environmental
Social
Sustainability materiality assessment
Our Approach
Environment
Social
Gove
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Insights
Sinopec Chongqing SVW Chemical 
Company (SVW) is a chemical 
manufacturer based in China. The company 
is focused on continuously improving 
water reuse and recycling while increasing 
output and aligning with the Chinese government’s efforts to 
conserve energy and reduce emissions. SVW recently launched 
an initiative to recycle wastewater for use in its cooling towers 
at its plant in Chongqing, China.
Actions
Ecolab’s water and process management business, Nalco 
Water, worked with SVW to develop a program that is 
designed to control corrosion and scale while maintaining a 
ratio of up to 60% recycled wastewater in the cooling tower 
makeup water. SVW impl
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Sustainable solutions take 
Loews Hotels to new heights
Insights
Loews Hotels & Co is a hospitality 
company that owns or operates 26 
hotels and resorts in the U.S. and 
Canada. The company is committed 
to adopting solutions that help reduce 
its environmental footprint while maintaining a high-end 
experience for its guests.
To this end, Loews Hotels & Co has set a goal of reducing 
portfolio-wide energy use intensity by 30% by 2030. It also 
actively sources recyclable products to reduce packaging 
waste and works to protect earth’s natural resources through 
partnerships with sustainable suppliers across its value chain. 
Actions
Nalco Water, Ecolab’s water and pro
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Our 2030 Impact Goals for customer outcomes
Working toward a 100% positive future 
requires a collective effort — it is a mindset 
that propels our associates, customers 
and communities forward. Our 2030 
Impact Goals reflect our ongoing 
dedication to our vision for a thriving 
world.
These goals are focused on the change 
we can create for our company, 
communities, customers and 
environment. Ecolab technologies and 
services help drive exponential return on 
investment (eROI) for our customers, 
while helping protect people and vital 
resources. Our 2030 Impact Goals 
showcase our global team’s dedication to 
helping customers maximize business 
outcomes at the hig
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By 2030, our goal is to help clean 90 billion hands 
and provide safe medical care for 116 million 
people each year, reducing more than 1.7 million 
infections. 
In 2022, we helped customers clean 57 billion 
hands, provided safe medical care to 64 million 
people and reduced 2.1 million infections. 
We measure our progress based on the average 
number of healthcare instruments washed, 
chemistry sales and our business growth. 
While hand hygiene sales continue to stabilize 
in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, we 
remain ahead of pace. In 2022, we achieved 
113% of our annual target. 
113%
of 2022 target
93%
of 2022 target
2030 Impact Goals for customer outcomes
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Accelerating startups focused on 
food security and sustainability
The best entrepreneurs in the world are 
completely obsessed with a problem. 
That obsession fuels innovation. And 
within the food system, there are no 
shortages of problems. Climate change 
causes more catastrophic weather events 
each year. Crop yields are damaged or 
diminished from flooding or drought. 
Population growth contributes to food 
and water scarcity. Unprecedented 
labor shortages are affecting businesses 
throughout the world.  
Techstars Farm to Fork food system 
accelerator program, co-funded by 
Cargill and Ecolab, focuses on supporting 
entrepreneurs who are developing 
innovative w
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environmental, social and governance 
(ESG) issues in some way. And many 
founders from the accelerator are tackling 
sustainability issues head-on in non-
conventional ways. 
For example, Agtools Inc. emerged from 
the 2020 cohort and uses AI and modeling 
to predict good growing seasons and 
crop yields around the world. When 
considering the potential negative effects 
of climate change and the impact that is 
felt throughout the supply chain, a business 
like this could be especially important in 
predicting supply changes. A bad growing 
season wouldn’t just affect individual 
farmers — it has the potential to disrupt 
business all over the world and create 
major food scarcity or food security issues.
Another company from the 2020 cohort, 
IXON Food Technology, has crea
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Promoting health and hospitality with the 
Ecolab Science CertifiedTM program 
The COVID-19 pandemic served as an important reminder 
of why precautionary steps are crucial to help minimize 
the spread of illness. No matter if it’s for school, work or 
recreation, remaining committed to good hygiene practices 
built during the pandemic can help prevent the spread 
of germs in shared spaces. One solution that helps our 
partners remain committed to clean is the Ecolab Science 
CertifiedTM program.
Ecolab Science Certified is a comprehensive, science-
based public health and food safety program that helps 
businesses including hotels, restaurants and grocery 
stores advan
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Our 2030 Impact Goals for Ecolab operations
Alongside the impact we make with our customers, we make a difference through our own operations. In addition to bold 
environmental targets, we have goals focused on an inclusive, diverse, just and safe community for our associates.  
We are focused on reducing greenhouse gas 
emissions in our own operations in line with the level 
of decarbonization required to limit global warming 
to 1.5 degrees Celsius. We have a Science-Based 
Target, verified by the Science Based Target Initiative, 
committing us to reduce absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 
greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 from a 2018 
base year and achieving net-zero
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47%
reduction
Gender diversity
Ethnic/racial diversity
35%
reduction
Our safety goal is always zero incidents. But Goal Zero is more than a number. We place 
great value on training and education, both at our own facilities and at customer locations. 
We assess risk before we start work, identify and address safety issues and remedy 
hazardous situations — at any Ecolab location and wherever we operate. Employees 
are trained and empowered to stop work anytime conditions are considered unsafe.
By 2030, we aim to train and educate 100% of our associates to work safely 100% 
of the time. In 2022, we made strides toward this goal by reducing total recordable 
incident rate
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Awards and recognition
The right results, delivered the right way 
The Ecolab team operates with a strong commitment to integrity, innovation, sustainability and social responsibility. We always 
strive for the best results for our customers and our company, and in 2022, were recognized by several leading organizations for 
our commitment to operating responsibly and sustainably.
America’s Most Responsible Companies 
(Newsweek)
100 Best Corporate Citizens (3BL Media)
FTSE4GOOD Index Series (FTSE4GOOD)
Americas Most JUST Companies 
(JUST Capital & CNBC)
World’s Most Admired Companies (Fortune)
World’s Most Ethical Companies (Ethisphere)
50 Best Companies to Sell for (Sel
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Our Approach
Environment
Social
Governance
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At Ecolab, we believe what’s good for the planet is good 
for business. For 100 years, our sustainability leadership 
and achievement has been rooted in our enterprise-wide 
commitment to operational efficiency and environmental 
stewardship. We employ our expertise and technology to 
continually find ways to deliver strong business results 
while saving water, energy, emissions and waste and 
prolonging equipment life throughout our facilities. We do 
this with an eye for how our impact extends beyond our 
operations to local people and communities. 
Ecolab’s Global Safety Health & Environmental Posi
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climate change and its impacts” and are 
a supporter of the Task Force on Climate-
Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). 
We define net-zero in alignment with the 
Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) as 
achieving value chain decarbonization in 
line with a 1.5˚C pathway and neutralizing 
residual emissions with an equivalent 
volume of permanent carbon removal.
2022 Ecolab Corporate Responsibility Report
Climate action
The science is clear on what’s needed 
to mitigate climate change: significant, 
global action to reduce greenhouse gas 
emissions (GHG)and limit warming to 
1.5°C. Climate change must be treated 
with the urgency it demands, and we 
are committed to leading the way while 
supporting those who
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reduction in our inventories but  
realize our positive contribution on  
the planet is maximized in partnership 
with our customers.   
To have a truly exponential impact, we 
rely on our unique value proposition to 
help customers achieve their business 
and cleanliness goals in a more 
sustainable way. That result is achieved 
through use of Ecolab solutions and 
services which reduce water and 
energy use, and therefore GHG 
emissions. So, building on proven 
performance year over year, and ahead 
of our net-zero milestone, we intend to 
achieve a net positive climate impact 
in partnership with our suppliers and 
customers by 2030. Here’s how:
Engaging across our supply chain to work toward 
ambitious climat
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Helping customers become carbon neutral 
Just as climate change is one of the greatest 
challenges of our time, finding the path to net-zero 
emissions is the corresponding growth opportunity. 
We continue to innovate with an eye toward a low 
carbon future: over an eighth of new technologies 
launched in 2022 contributed to positive energy 
and carbon impacts. Through utilization of many 
of these innovative programs and services, we are 
growing our business while minimizing customers’ 
environmental footprint at the highest rate of return.
Continuing to deliver on our promise
2030 Impact Goal 
Help customers become carbon neutral by avoiding 6 million 
metric tons of GHG emissions, preventing nearly 10 million
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Ecolab introduces Water for Climate program 
to help customers meet climate goals
Many companies around the world have 
set ambitious climate goals to address 
the impacts of climate change and 
water scarcity. And many believe that 
prioritizing sustainability compromises 
profitability. Ecolab is helping businesses 
pursue both at the same time. 
To help customers respond to the 
intensifying energy crisis and impacts 
of climate change, Ecolab launched its 
Ecolab Water for Climate™ program in 
2022. This new offering helps companies 
meet their ambitious climate goals without 
compromising business growth.
Water must be moved, heated, cooled 
and treated to be fit for commercial 
use, all of which requires en
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Ecolab and Siemens partner to help industry 
reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Starting in 2022, Ecolab teamed up with Siemens to help 
customers accelerate their progress toward sustainability 
and productivity goals with the launch of Climate Intelligence. 
Climate Intelligence is powered by ECOLAB3D™, Ecolab’s water 
data and analytics IIoT platform, and Siemens gPROMS tools, 
which allow customers to virtually model different scenarios 
across their water and energy systems to identify opportunities 
to conserve water and power while also lowering their 
greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate Intelligence leverages the unique strengths of Ecolab and 
Siemens, the global leader in digital twin technology, automation
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Our pathway to reduce  
operational emissions 
For 100 years, Ecolab has led with purpose 
and an intense focus on making a positive 
impact alongside our customers. For us, this 
means being part of the solution to combat 
climate change as a responsible operator. We 
utilize a combination of tactics in line with 
science-based strategies that aim to reduce 
emissions in our own operations, including:
Increasing energy efficiency 
Ecolab is actively expanding energy efficiency 
projects at Ecolab sites across the globe and 
identifying net-zero pilot facilities in strategic 
markets to help reduce emissions within our 
manufacturing and business operations. 
Utilizing renewable electricity 
We continue to partne
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To maintain momentum, we are 
implementing decarbonization pilot 
projects at large US-based manufacturing 
sites and creating an energy optimization 
playbook for global manufacturing sites.
Utilizing renewable electricity 
We partner with renewable energy 
producer Clearway Energy Group through 
a virtual power purchasing agreement 
(VPPA) to cover 100% of Ecolab’s annual 
electricity use in the United States and 
Canada. In 2022, we announced our 
partnership with asset management firm 
Low Carbon on a VPPA to source 100% 
of the electricity needs for our European 
sites from the Mörknässkogen wind farm 
on the west coast of Finland. This project 
is targeted for completion in 2023 and 
combined, the two agree
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Engaging across our supply chain
At Ecolab, we recognize that no one 
organization alone will solve the challenges 
presented by climate change. It takes all of 
us working together to move from net-zero 
commitments to meaningful results. 
Encouraging suppliers to set  
ambitious targets
We are collaborating with suppliers 
representing 70% of Scope 3 emissions* to 
set ambitious carbon targets aligned with 
the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) 
methodology by 2024.
In 2022, we bolstered our supplier 
engagement initiatives by partnering 
with CDP Supply Chain to collect 
data on suppliers’ carbon targets 
and footprints. Results indicated that 
suppliers accounting for 14% of Scope 
3 emissions* have set
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Reducing miles and emissions through supply chain initiatives 
Ecolab has embraced a host of measures 
to enable us to reach our ambitious 
emissions reductions goals. This includes 
our supply chain. 
Several initiatives introduced in North 
America in 2022 have led to a reduction 
of more than 5.2 million miles driven and 
over 10,700 metric tons of CO2 emissions 
avoided. These projects include moving 
product manufacturing closer to the 
customer and switching from trucking to 
other forms of transportation.  
Our team has worked diligently by 
manufacturing locally, optimizing 
utilization of our trailers and converting to 
intermodal transport. These have all led to 
taking miles off the road, helping to av
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and creates potential opportunities to 
our organization. Thus, we have taken 
steps to further identify and assess the 
nature and magnitude of these risks 
and opportunities and develop relevant 
adaptation and mitigation plans.
The threats and opportunities associated 
with climate change are dynamic in 
nature. It is a long-term and uncertain 
phenomenon which requires a response 
that considers how future risks and 
opportunities interact with business 
timescales as they evolve. To best respond 
to climate risks and opportunities, Ecolab 
is including climate-related matters 
across governance, strategy and risk 
management processes. This work 
includes defining climate-related key 
performance indicators
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The World Resources Institute projects that under a 
business-as-usual scenario, the world will face a 56% 
freshwater deficit by 2030, placing urgent pressure 
on businesses to rethink the way water resources are 
managed. And it’s undeniable that water will continue to 
be one of the primary ways our world experiences climate 
change. We cannot address and adapt to climate change 
without considering the role water plays.
As a company with deep expertise in water management, 
and in-depth understanding of the issues facing companies 
across industries, we are committed to helping all water 
users better understand, evaluate and take action to 
mitigate their water-related risks to ensure the availability 
of th
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First-in-a-generation United Nations (UN) Water Conference 
reinforces the vital role businesses have in water action 
Amid an intensifying water crisis, world 
leaders gathered in March 2023 to catalyze 
a global response to the looming threat 
of water scarcity at the historic UN Water 
Conference, the first gathering of its kind 
since 1977. Not only did the conference 
represent a watershed moment for the 
world, but it also gathered the world’s 
leading companies, including Ecolab, to 
advocate the impact that the business 
sector can have on the world’s water use. 
New data from a survey consulting 
thousands of consumers across eight 
different countries, revealed:
•	 74% of consumers believe businesses
sh
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Creating a future with ample water for all as a 
co-founder of the Water Resilience Coalition  
With urgent action, the world’s water crises can be alleviated. But corporations 
must take action to reduce the amount of water they consume in their 
operations. And while reducing water use is an important step, it’s not the only 
one. It is critical that businesses reach outside their facilities to work with those 
who share the same water resources and strive to ensure water availability, 
quality and access for all.
We’re working to bring this work to life through our co-founding membership 
in the Water Resilience Coalition (WRC), an initiative of the CEO Water 
Mandate between the United Nations Global Compact
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Helping customers advance efficient operations and 
responsible growth
Through use of Ecolab solutions and services, we aim to help 
customers conserve 300 billion gallons (~1.1 billion cubic meters) 
of water, equivalent to the annual drinking water needs of more 
than 1 billion people.
Increasing water-use efficiency, reuse and recycling at 
our operational sites
By 2030, we are targeting to reduce water impact by 40% per 
unit production across our enterprise from a 2018 base year in 
part by leveraging Ecolab solutions and digital technologies.
Protecting local watersheds
We are working to restore greater than 50% of our absolute 
water withdrawal volume at high-risk sites by 2030 through 
partnerships that h
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Advancing smart water 
management for our customers
Ecolab has a unique understanding 
of the role water plays in running a 
business. Our holistic water expertise 
helps customers across nearly every 
industry use less water and better 
manage the water they use, from 
everyday uses to complex process 
challenges. This includes improving 
heating and cooling, industrial 
processing, wastewater treatment and 
cleaning and sanitizing processes 
through innovative water technologies, 
real-time data and monitoring, water 
management software tools, water 
treatment services and chemistries.
We also help customers implement 
industrial water conservation efforts 
to reduce freshwater use, reuse and 
recycle water to
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optimizing costs at the facility and 
organizational level through Ecolab 
solutions like 3D TRASAR™, Water Flow 
Intelligence and digital tools like the 
Smart Water Navigator. In 2022, we 
delivered on projects resulting in over 
12.7 million gallons (~48,000 cubic 
meters) of water savings. Highlights of 
this work include:  
Working toward water neutrality in 
Lerma, Mexico
Our production facility in Lerma, Mexico 
is following a comprehensive phased  
approach on their way to net-zero water 
use. The site, which is located in a water 
stressed area, received Alliance for 
Water Stewardship certification in 2021. 
In 2022, utilizing the expertise 
of our team and water solutions, they 
improved steam condensa
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Protecting local watersheds
Watersheds face a variety of risks, including water scarcity and water quality, 
accelerating impacts of climate change and loss of local species. Ecolab 
collaborates with nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations to advance 
new solutions and standards for responsible water management, and to build 
awareness of the environmental impacts of industry. We also work with partners 
within the local water basins in which we operate to understand shared water 
challenges and work to address them with nature-based solutions. 
Funded through the Ecolab Foundation, Solutions for Life enhances our mission 
to conserve water and improve hygiene around the world through collaborations 
with n
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Ecolab helps fund landmark water conservation 
project to shore up Lake Mead
As part of our commitment to achieve 
a positive water impact, Ecolab is 
focused on improving water availability, 
access and quality in water-stressed 
communities around the world. Without 
urgent action, hydropower generation 
and lake storage are threatened by 
the effects of climate change in the 
Southwest region of the United States, 
putting 40 million Americans relying on 
the Colorado River water basin at risk. 
To help combat these outcomes, 
Ecolab helped fund a landmark water 
conservation project with the Colorado 
River Indian Tribes (CRIT) and the state 
of Arizona, one of the largest multi-sector 
collaborative drought
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Supporting clean water and climate adaptation 
strategies in São Paulo, Brazil 
Ecolab’s manufacturing sites located in 
Suzano and Barueri, Brazil rely on water 
from the Piracicaba, Capivari and Jundiai 
(PCJ) river basin. The basin supplies more 
than 70% of the region’s water, most 
notably supporting Brazil’s largest city of 
São Paulo. The region has experienced 
seven droughts in the last decade.
Starting in 2022, Ecolab partnered with 
other members of the Water Resilience 
Coalition to contribute to the Water Fund 
of São Paulo, an initiative deployed by 
The Nature Conservancy, to help with 
watershed protection and reforestation 
to provide fresh, clean water for millions 
of people. 
The primary objec
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City of Industry, California
Annual water savings of  
4.3 million gallons (~16,000 m3)
Cuautitlán Izcalli, Mexico
Annual water savings of  
760,000 gallons (~2,900 m3)
Garyville, Louisiana
Annual water savings of  
42 million gallons (~160,000 m3)
Carson, California
Annual water savings of 
550,000 gallons (~2,100 m3)
Barueri, Brazil
Annual water savings of 1.2 
million gallons (~4,600 m3)
Suzano, Brazil
Annual water savings of  
2 million gallons (~7,600 m3)
Lerma, Mexico
Annual water savings of  
950,000 gallons (~3,600 m3)
Taicang, China
Annual water savings of  
1.2 million gallons (~4,600 m3)
Delivering outcomes through AWS certification
As a founding partner of the Alliance for Water 
Stewardship (AWS), Ec
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water-related risks, both in the near- 
and long-term. The revised analysis is 
based on combining our operational 
water withdrawals, effluent discharges, 
and production metrics with water 
risk indicators from World Resources 
Institute’s (WRI’s) Aqueduct Water Risk 
Atlas and World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF’s) 
Water Risk Filter, as well as financial 
cost valuations from Ecolab’s Smart 
Water Navigator to inform decisions at 
an operational level. The Smart Water 
Navigator leverages leading, publicly 
available quantitative water risk datasets 
developed by WRI and WWF.
Methodology details
In 2022, our water risk assessment 
scope included 100% of our direct 
operations. We assessed company 
locations representi
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Ecolab’s sustainability efforts support 
protecting biodiversity by preserving 
quantity and quality of water in 
watersheds in which we and our 
customers operate and mitigating the 
impacts of climate change as critical 
factors in preserving endangered 
species. Our Biodiversity Position 
recognizes the importance of conserving 
biodiversity in support of our mission 
and formalizes our commitment.
Protection of biodiversity in  
critical habitats
Ecolab’s direct operations, activities, 
products and/or services do not have 
a significant impact on biodiversity in 
protected areas or areas of high biodiversity 
value outside of protected areas. We are 
not aware of any operations that affect 
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engage stakeholders around a common purpose through innovative funding and governance frameworks.
Ecolab also supported the development and publication of the China Urban Water Blueprint report, which 
analyzed the state of water in China’s 30 largest and fastest growing cities, informing TNC China’s decision to 
start two new water funds. The report offers science-based recommendations for natural solutions – including 
reforestation and improving agricultural practices – that can be integrated alongside traditional infrastructure to 
improve water security for people and nature. It provides a roadmap for action for water security through natural 
solutions, paving the way for new partnerships and subsequent work on source water protection.
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Environment
Social
Governa
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Water Fund of São Paulo  |  Brazil
Ecolab contributes to the Water Fund of São Paulo, an initiative deployed by TNC, 
to help with watershed protection and reforestation to provide fresh, clean water for 
millions of people. Through the Water Fund, at least 220 hectares of forest land within 
the municipalities of Mogi das Cruzes and Salesópolis will be protected, both of which are 
located within the watershed. 
Not only is Ecolab's investment expected to deliver a volumetric benefit of 29.4 million gallons 
(~111,000 cubic meters) of water each year for 10 years, but it is also intended to maintain 
groundwater storage and recharge, surface water quality and abundance and diversity of native 
plant species. Add
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Activating environmental justice work 
by Protecting What’s VitalTM 
Ecolab is a global leader in business 
solutions that make the world cleaner, 
safer and healthier. But perhaps more 
importantly, we are also leaders in our 
communities, helping our neighbors with 
food safety, optimizing water use and 
protecting resources vital to life.
Our position on environmental justice
A business cannot operate sustainability 
globally without acting locally. As such, 
Ecolab is committed to advancing 
environmental justice in the communities 
where we operate. Our Environmental 
Justice position outlines how we actively 
seek to ensure our operations and 
products involve fair treatment and 
meaningful involvement of a
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Ecolab is committed to implementing 
circular economy principles, including 
using materials and resources efficiently, 
reducing non-hazardous and hazardous 
waste in our operations, products 
and packaging and increasing reuse 
and recycling. Our commitment is 
operationalized through our Waste 
Management Policy, which establishes 
minimum waste management 
requirements and helps ensure 
responsible and legal practices for 
waste generation and disposal. 
Ecolab remains focused on reducing 
waste across our global operations 
through product and packaging design 
principles and manufacturing and waste 
disposal process controls. Our ambition 
is to package all products in reusable 
or readily recyclable packag
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Business can and should play a 
central role in mitigating the world’s 
sustainability challenges. One way 
organizations can operate more 
sustainability while delivering business 
growth is through, circular, closed-
loop models which typically improve 
operational efficiencies and provide 
notable environmental benefits. 
As a global leader in water solutions, this 
is one of the many reasons why Ecolab, 
along with partners Accenture, Anglo 
American and Amazon Web Services 
(AWS), and in collaboration with the 
World Economic Forum and UpLink, are 
proud to support water technologies that 
advance the circular agenda through The 
Circulars Accelerator.
The Circulars Accelerator is advancing 
the global trans
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Ecolab is on a continuous journey 
to be a leader in product safety and 
sustainability. We have developed policies 
and programs designed to prevent or 
reduce human and environmental 
exposure to chemical products through a 
holistic engineering approach which 
includes chemistry composition, format, 
packaging, dispensing and digital control 
systems. We use multiple industry 
benchmarking tools, such as the Chemical 
Footprint Project, Globally Harmonized 
System of Classification and Labeling of 
Chemicals (GHS), the European Safe and 
Sustainable by Design criteria and 
ChemSec to guide best practices for 
product sustainability. Ecolab’s Impacts 
that Matter criteria are aligned with these 
frameworks and
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Classification and labeling  
of chemicals
100% of Ecolab chemical products are 
reviewed for appropriate ingredient 
disclosure and accurate use and 
application instructions. We follow 
the GHS criteria for classifying 
chemical ingredients and products 
and communicating product safety 
information. Ecolab has implemented 
GHS globally with over 95% of our 
products meeting the GHS standard and 
nearly 200,000 Safety Data Sheets (SDS) 
issued annually in approximately 74 
different country-specific templates and 
49 languages. 
Additionally, safe-use and disposal 
instructions are included on the product 
label and/or through our sales-and-service 
associates. 80% of Ecolab products have 
GHS category 1 and/or
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Requires no eye, hand, skin, or 
respiratory personal protective 
equipment when used as directed per 
Global Harmonized System (GHS) 
classifications. Simplifies training 
employees on safe, e“ ective 
use and handling. Creates 
positive sta“ and
occupant perception. 
Available in a package designed to reduce 
exposure to the concentrated chemical under 
typical use conditions making the product 
easier to handle, store and deliver.
Simplified 
product use
Product is fragrance free or contains a 
fragrance compliant with International 
Fragrance Association (IFRA) safety 
standards. Fosters peace of mind for user 
and comfort for occupant. 
Fragrance 
safety
Minimizes air impacts due to 
volatile organic compoun
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Social
Our Approach
Environment
Social
Governance
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Hiring practices
We believe the best teams are diverse 
and inclusive. To create these teams, we 
strive to hire and value people with unique 
cultures, backgrounds and experiences, 
provide an environment where all 
associates are supported and encourage 
our associates to reach their full potential.
We believe a world of opportunity can be 
found within our growing company and 
that people develop through experiences. 
To allow for this development, we strive to 
create new opportunities within existing 
roles, provide resources to aid skill 
develo
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Benefits
Ecolab provides market-competitive 
benefits based on country-specific 
needs and government requirements. 
While our benefits packages vary by 
market, they are all designed to attract 
top talent and build long-term associate 
loyalty. All United States employees 
scheduled to work 20 hours or more per 
week are eligible for Ecolab’s benefits 
package which offers associates 
medical and dental coverage, wellness 
and employee assistance programs, life 
and travel accident insurance, parental 
leave and adoption assistance, disability 
coverage, an employee stock purchase 
plan, pension plan and retirement 
savings plans. 
Temporary workers, who account for 
approximately 1% of our total workforce, 
in
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thousands of discounts in more than 25 
different categories.
We have vacation policies in accordance 
with national and state regulations in 
all countries in which we operate. As a 
company headquartered in the United 
States, our U.S. vacation policy offers a 
minimum of 12 paid vacation days to full-
time employees. 
We offer sick time in accordance with 
national and state regulations in all 
countries in which we operate. As a 
company headquartered in the United 
States, our U.S. Health & Safe Time 
policy offers six paid days of sick time to 
full-time employees.
Labor relations
Ecolab respects the principles of 
freedom of association and the right to 
collective bargaining in accordance with 
applicable
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Our processes and governance for 
ensuring both performance-based and 
equitable pay decisions without regard for 
gender and race/ethnicity is consistent at 
the enterprise level and across significant 
locations of operation. There are several 
processes and practices in place to help 
ensure we don’t have pay discrepancies 
related to gender, race or other personal 
demographics including:
•	 Annual and ongoing pay reviews and
audits
•	 Annual salary and bonus planning for
eligible associates
•	 Annual talent reviews
•	 Ongoing pay alignment decisions such
as hiring, promotions and transfers
Pay decisions are made at the managerial 
level and aggregated for review and 
analysis across performance, gender and 
race to ensure equity.
Talent management
Flexible work
E
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In addition to these enterprise practices, 
we also conduct pay equity reviews both 
in alignment with country regulations 
and simply because it is a part of good 
business and talent practice. Ecolab 
conducts a pay equity review in the U.S. 
for our total population every two years. 
The two-year cadence reflects the size 
and scale of our U.S. organization and 
allows us to analyze a few years of pay 
decisions. We leverage a third-party 
expert in compensation and HR analytics 
for these reviews and assess pay equity 
in general, with a special focus on gender 
and race. The findings of our 2018, 2020 
and 2022 studies validate that Ecolab 
provides equal pay for men, women and 
all races/ethnicities who und
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corresponding governance and analytics 
used to test and validate that we are 
paying equitably. Our compensation 
and governance practices are built 
into our manager and leadership 
development curriculum. Each of our 
annual compensation processes includes 
training materials for managers to guide 
performance-based decision making. 
Grievance mechanisms regarding 
compensation include our global Code of 
Conduct and reporting mechanism.  
In the U.S., our Ecolab Associate 
Resolution resources provide numerous 
avenues for employees to raise concerns 
and seek resolution.  
In 2022, the annual total compensation 
for our CEO was $8,720,419 as reported in 
our annual Proxy Statement. The annual 
total compensation for our global median 
employee in 2022 was $55
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Human capital development 
Ecolab’s ability to attract and retain 
the world’s most capable talent, while 
deepening our relationship with existing 
associates, is critical to managing our 
operations efficiently and effectively and 
delivering innovative solutions to 
customers. We have ambitious, solution-
oriented teams and continually look for 
ways to help associates learn and grow. 
We invest in professional training and 
development, help our employees create 
personal plans to achieve their career 
goals and conduct regular employee 
engagement surveys. Through various 
processes and programs, we are providing 
associates with the tools they need to 
excel and developing the future leaders of 
Ecolab and
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Performance planning and 
development 
Ecolab’s global Performance Planning 
and Development process provides 
employees and their managers with the 
practices and tools they need to optimize 
performance. In addition to the annual 
performance review process, managers 
are encouraged to provide open 
feedback and coaching throughout the 
year to support employees in achieving 
their goals.
Annual performance reviews for 2021 
were completed in 2022, and consisted of 
three sections:
1.	 Past-year results summary
2.	 Performance objectives for the new year
3.	 Coaching and development goals
addition to all-employee global surveys, 
we conduct periodic check-in surveys 
with targeted teams to allow us to gather 
i
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Diversity, equity and inclusion 
Ecolab has spent the last 100 years 
rooted in unwavering values. As we 
move into our next 100 years, we do so 
grounded in those same values – with 
even greater clarity of purpose and 
mission. We believe in the value of 
diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), in 
business and in all facets of life and are 
working to embed DEI throughout our 
company so that it shows up in how we: 				
• Attract, hire, develop and promote
people
• Create respectful, inclusive workplaces
• Do business with our customers and
suppliers
• Use our corporate clout to create equity
in our communities
Purposefully investing in a thriving culture 
that honors
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To activate diverse early career talent into our pipeline, 
our campus recruiting team partners with on-campus 
organizations that support women and underrepresented 
groups at the local, regional and national level. Our goal 
is for 100% of requisitions to have a diverse funnel of 
applicants that mirrors the market availability for each 
individual job.
Finally, we focus attention on educating recruiters, interview 
teams and hiring managers on inclusion, diversity and bias 
through our Ecolab Interview Training courses to support 
managers in interviewing and selection of the best candidate.  
In 2022,
We continue to make progress toward our 2030 goal to increase 
management-level gender diversity to 35%, with
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Fostering a culture of inclusivity 
and belonging
Doing the right thing the right way means 
that we practice inclusivity, rigorously, every 
day. We consistently provide associates 
with opportunities to connect, listen 
and learn about our differences, to build 
empathy, understanding and allyship for 
one another. As of 2022, over one third of 
our global workforce completed an online 
Allyship in Action training course to help 
associates have ongoing conversations, 
build trust and become better allies to 
those who face discrimination.
Our employee resource groups (ERGs) are 
invaluable in helping associates feel a 
sense of belonging and in driving key 
talent outcomes, such as engagement and 
retention. S
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Embracing diversity and advocating for 
representation within our company
Critical to our ongoing diversity, equity and 
inclusion (DEI) efforts is recognizing the 
importance of representation. At Ecolab, 
we celebrate the diversity and richness of 
our workforce and acknowledge the unique 
perspectives, experiences and voices of our 
Black and African American (AA)/African 
associates. By honoring and valuing these 
contributions, we create a more inclusive 
and equitable workplace for all.
Providing leadership opportunities at 
all levels of the organization
The Black Leaders Forum (BLF) is an 
internal group founded in 2017 that 
prioritizes open and honest dialogue 
with top leaders to create a supportive 
c
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In addition, our Ecolab Foundation 
nonprofit grant program delivers funds to 
community partners focused on youth 
development to support our Black, 
African and Asian American, Biracial and 
Multiracial communities. These nonprofit 
organizations provide programs that 
encourage personal and educational 
development and include groups such as 
the United Ways, YMCAs, YWCAs, Boys 
and Girls Clubs and many more.
Addressing the whole, 
not just the parts
Ecolab has been working on policy, 
philanthropy and workplace initiatives 
as a member of the Minnesota Business 
Coalition for Racial Equity (MBCRE). 
The coalition is comprised of more 
than 80 regional organizations and 
collectively seeks to make measurable
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Health, wellness and safety
At Ecolab, the safety of our employees, 
contractors and visitors is our top 
priority and embedded into our 
company values. Our safety goals are 
simple: zero accidents, zero injuries 
and zero violations. This Goal Zero is a 
collective target which each employee 
must commit to, own and deliver on 
every day of the year. Year-on-year, 
we also strive to incrementally 
improve safety at all our sites to 
protect employees and communities.  
But Goal Zero is more than a number. 
We place great value on training and 
education, both at our own facilities 
and at customer locations. We assess 
risk before we start work, identify and 
address safety issues and remedy 
hazardous situatio
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Our systems help ensure we meet our 
legal obligations in our countries of 
operation, including but not limited 
to the U.S. Occupational Safety and 
Health Administration, UK Health & 
Safety Executive, German Occupational 
and Safety Act, Canadian Centre for 
Occupational Health and Safety and 
China’s Workplace Safety Law. 
In 2022, we continued our multi-year 
process to align our systems more fully to 
the ISO 45001 international standard. In 
some cases, we are also working to align 
with standards promulgated by industry 
groups with which we partner such 
as the American Chemistry Council’s 
Responsible Care Management System. 
To date, approximately 35% of our 
workforce is covered by systems that have
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Employee training
Ecolab maintains a Global Safety, 
Health, and Environment Training 
Policy requiring all Ecolab operations 
to establish minimum requirements 
for training based on an assessment 
of operation-specific risk, applicable 
local or national laws and regulations 
and employee job responsibilities. 
This includes establishing new 
hire or transfer orientation training 
requirements. Each operation is 
required to determine appropriate 
training methods and frequencies, 
ensure training is delivered prior to risk 
exposure, document the completion of 
training and review training programs 
at least every three years. Below are a 
few examples of our training programs 
and activities.					
• Manager E
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Through our Global Risk Assessment 
Policy, Global Safety, Health & 
Environment Position and Code of 
Conduct, we empower all employees 
to report work-related hazards and 
conditions, and to stop work when 
conditions or behaviors are unsafe. Our 
global Code of Conduct establishes 
personal responsibility for establishing 
and maintaining a safe workplace 
and requires employees to promptly 
report health and safety concerns 
to their supervisor, regional SHE 
representative, human resources 
representative or if necessary, 
appropriate emergency authorities. We 
also deploy electronic, web-based tools 
throughout our global operations to 
assist all employees and non-employees 
under our operational control i
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Community impact
Ecolab supports programs and initiatives 
that protect people and nature in the 
communities in which we live and work. 
Through corporate giving and grants 
from the Ecolab Foundation, product 
donations and employee volunteerism, 
Ecolab is advancing its goals to support 
vital ecosystems and enable communities 
around the world to thrive.
Community giving
Since 1986, the Ecolab Foundation has 
implemented community impact programs 
to support communities where our 
employees live and work, focusing on 
giving to local non-profit organizations in 
four strategic areas: youth and education, 
civic and community development, 
arts and culture and environment and 
conservation. Since the inception
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Community partnerships
Solutions for Life is part of Ecolab's global offerings to give back to local communities, 
helping to enhance our mission to conserve water and improve hygiene around the world 
through collaborations with NGOs, global philanthropy and employee volunteerism. 
Solutions for Life is funded by Ecolab through the Ecolab Foundation. Through Solutions for 
Life, Ecolab supports the work of strategic global nonprofit partners such as The Nature 
Conservancy, Project WET Foundation and Water.org.
The Nature Conservancy 
Ecolab continues to support its partnership with The Nature 
Conservancy (TNC) securing and restoring water sources around the 
globe. Region-specific examples of positive impacts