The foundation of our program is our Code of Conduct for Suppliers which articulates McDonald’s expectations in the areas of employment, workplace practices, compensation and benefits, discrimination, health and safety. We also require our suppliers to share our expectations to their own facilities and suppliers.

To monitor adherence to the specific elements of our Code of Conduct for Suppliers and to assist our suppliers in identifying opportunities for improvement, we partner with independent third-party experts. The overall risk of the market and industry are assessed; the specific performance of suppliers is evaluated and corrective action plans are developed where appropriate so that all facilities can continue working towards sustainable improvement and full compliance.

In mid-2008, we re-launched our Supplier Workplace Accountability program and continue to roll it out globally today. Some recent examples of the enhancements to the program include:

• Online training for suppliers, their facilities and McDonald’s supply chain
  


• A Supplier Guidance Document which is available online in eight languages, acting as a resource document articulating McDonald’s expectations regarding compliance to the McDonald’s Code of Conduct for Suppliers.
  


• An on-line self-assessment, which is completed annually by all facilities that fall within our defined scope.
  


• Improved workflow, where audits results are emailed to facilities and available online within 10 business days of the audit.