Ethics and Compliance
At 3M, customers are at the heart of everything we do. Our strong ethical culture to do business the right way gives us the confidence to grow our business anywhere in the world. Our employees know they don't have to compromise their ethics to do business. Our customers know we are a company they can trust. At 3M, we are committed to doing the right thing every day.
The Ethics and Compliance team is an independent function reporting directly to the Audit Committee of the 3M Board of Directors. This is done to ensure autonomy in reporting so that the compliance team can act independently should an issue arise at 3M.
Our core values
3M’s Code of Conduct is comprised of the following core business conduct principles that set forth global corporate expectations for all 3M employees and certain third parties who act on 3M’s behalf.
Be Honest
Act with honesty and integrity.
Advertising and Product Representation (PDF, 67.74 KB)
Doing Business With Government Agencies and Contractors (PDF, 75.77 KB)
Be Fair
Play by the rules, whether working with government, customers, or suppliers.
Antitrust and Competition Law (PDF, 68.73 KB)
Be Loyal
Protect 3M's interests, assets and information.
Conflict of Interest (PDF, 73.46 KB)
Electronic Resources (PDF, 72.95 KB)
Information Security, Trade Secrets, and Confidential Information (PDF, 82.26 KB)
Follow the Code of Conduct
The 3M Code of Conduct outlines our commitment to working with integrity, honesty, and respect. By complying with the Code, we ensure our continued success and maintain our reputation for doing the right thing, always. Learn more by downloading the full 3M Code of Conduct Handbook below.
Available PDF translations of 3M Code of Conduct
- English (PDF, 2,799 KB)
- Portuguese - Brazil (Português - Brasil) (PDF, 11,865 KB)
- Spanish - Latin American (Español-América Latina) (PDF, 11,851 KB)
- Spanish - Spain (Español-España) (PDF, 11,869 KB)
- French (Français) (PDF, 12,230 KB)
- German (Deutsch) (PDF, 11,944 KB)
- Italian (Italiano) (PDF, 6,039 KB)
- Dutch (Nederlands) (PDF, 11,857 KB)
- Polish (Polski) (PDF, 11,864 KB)
- Swedish (Svenska) (PDF, 11,821 KB)
- Czech (Česky) (PDF, 11,844 KB)
- Arabic (العربية) (PDF, 12,769 KB)
- Turkish (Türkçe) (PDF, 6,019 KB)
- Indonesian (Indonesia) (PDF, 6,006 KB)
- Chinese - Traditional (繁體中文) (PDF, 12,120 KB)
- Chinese - Simplified (简体中文) (PDF, 12,063 KB)
- Thai (ไทย) (PDF, 12,040 KB)
- Malay (Melayu) (PDF, 11,842 KB)
- Korean (한국어) (PDF, 6,078 KB)
- Japanese (日本語) (PDF, 6,263 KB)
- Vietnamese (Việt) (PDF, 6,084 KB)
About 3M’s Code of Conduct
Business Partners
Working together to prevent corruption
A Business Partner is a non-3M person or entity involved in a business arrangement, contract, or transaction with 3M to provide or purchase a product or service. Examples include distributors, vendors, suppliers, customers, consultants, sales agents, and more.
At 3M, we are committed to acting with integrity and complying with all laws. We expect the same from our Business Partners in every interaction and agreement.
As a participant in the United Nations Global Compact, we prohibit all forms of corruption and bribery. To support alignment with our standards, we offer the following guides and tools to help understand 3M’s compliance expectations:
3M Business Partners expectations brochure (with translations)
Online compliance courses
Available courses:
We provide our business partners and suppliers with information about the laws and principles for doing business the right way. The following online courses are available on our 3M business partners and suppliers Compliance Awareness training site:
- Ethical Business Conduct training
- Acknowledgment of 3M Code of Conduct
- Human Trafficking Prevention (Vendors only)
Site access:
To access the training site, please click on the “View Compliance Training site” button below and log onto the site. If this is the first time accessing the site, select register.
View Compliance Training siteFrequently asked questions
How do I ask a business conduct question or report a misconduct or potential misconduct?
Use any of the options below to ask a question or report a concern:
• 3M Ethics and Compliance Department
3M Company
3M Center, Building 220-9E-01
Saint Paul, MN 55144-1000
• 3M Legal Counsel
• 3M-Ethics.com
3M-Ethics.com is operated by a third-party vendor, EthicsPoint. EthicsPoint is an independent professional reporting service retained by 3M to assist with the receipt of questions or business conduct concerns. In most countries, you may use this system to report your concerns anonymously.
• Audit Committee of the Board of Directors
• Chair of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors
C/O 3M Corporate Secretary
3M Company
3M Center, Building 220-9E-02
Saint Paul, MN 55144-1000
• 3M Corporate Audit Department
3M Company
3M Center, Building 223-02-E-25
Saint Paul, MN 55144-1000
How will 3M respond to a report?
3M will review every report. As necessary, 3M may investigate. The information in your report will be handled discreetly and respectfully.
Investigations and findings
3M takes business conduct related reports seriously. Employees are encouraged to raise concerns early, allowing 3M to identify and address issues before they become a larger concern.
Each year the company investigates hundreds of concerns. Additionally, 3M receives questions on how to comply with the Code of Conduct and other inquiries that do not pose business conduct concerns.
3M's Ethics & Compliance Department carefully reviews each report and assigns the appropriate company resources to investigate or respond to inquiries submitted via 3MEthics.com.
To monitor the level of employee engagement, 3M tracks a Speak Up rate, with higher call rates representing an active and engaged culture of compliance.
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