UN Global Compact
The UN Global Compact is the United Nations' voluntary corporate sustainability initiative, launched in 2000. Participating companies commit to ten principles on human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption, and report on their progress every year.
The ten principles derive from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Labour Organization's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the UN Convention against Corruption.
Participants submit an annual Communication on Progress (CoP), a standardized questionnaire on how they apply the principles. Participation is a commitment, not a certification: it shows intent and gives a reporting discipline, and EcoVadis and customers read it that way.