Social responsibility
Since its founding, one of Aramco’s core principles has been to improve the communities where we operate, by engaging in a range of corporate social responsibility projects and initiatives.
Local and global citizenship
The Company engages in a range of corporate social responsibility projects and initiatives to support the communities and the environment in which we operate, and leverages our collective know-how and operational capabilities to further advance these projects.
We strive to make a positive impact across the two central pillars of our Citizenship strategy by supporting the intellectual, creative and economic development of our people, and protecting the diverse habitats of the planet.
Socio-economic development
The Company’s initiative to seed micro industries in the Kingdom is designed to empower people to shape their own economic future by creating additional value from traditional crafts and natural resources.
The Company has identified several micro industries that, with the right business model and support, are ripe for generating long-term impact for local communities. These programs focus on delivering training and training facilities, knowledge, tools and technology that remove financial barriers and lay the groundwork for participants and beneficiaries to succeed in new endeavors and enterprises.
Aramco’s community efforts extend beyond the borders of Saudi Arabia with participation in community outreach and development efforts everywhere we operate. These range from natural disaster relief and educational initiatives in China, and habitat preservation programs in Japan and Southeast Asia, to STEM and petrochemical industry education programs in the U.S. and Europe. Aramco’s international citizenship efforts are governed by the Company’s Citizenship Executive Committee.
Responsible procurement
Aramco’s commitment to ethical business practices extends to our supply chain through our Supplier Code of Conduct which outlines mandatory policies on environmental, health and safety issues, fair trade practices, ethical sourcing, conflicts of interest, bribery, kickbacks, gifts, fraud, monitoring, and compliance. Aramco’s Supplier Code of Conduct promotes the Company’s values and extends and maintains our ethical standards across the supplier network, enabling long-term, mutually-beneficial partnerships.
In support of the Company’s initiative to develop local supply chains to enhance our long-term commercial interests and reduce procurement costs, in 2015 we launched the In-Kingdom Total Value Add Program (iktva), designed to increase the use of in-Kingdom suppliers of goods and services. The program aims to increase the use of in-Kingdom suppliers, expand local supply chain capabilities and capacities, elevate the training and hiring of Saudi nationals, drive collaboration in the industry through supplier development, bring new innovations to the Kingdom through R&D, and promote the Kingdom as an export hub.