Code of Conduct

This Code applies to everyone who acts in Symolem's name: the founder, employees, consultants, associates, and any subcontractor engaged on our behalf. Working with us means working to this Code. Where a client's own standards are stricter than ours, we follow theirs for the duration of the engagement.

Our advice is only worth what it can withstand. We tell clients what the evidence supports, not what they hope to hear, and we distinguish clearly between what is established, what is emerging, and what is our professional judgement. We do not overstate the certainty of our conclusions, the maturity of regulation, or the readiness of our own tools and frameworks. If we are wrong, we say so and correct it. If we are not the right advisers for a piece of work, we say that too.

Independence is the basis of our value, so we protect it deliberately. Symolem Limited, the advisory practice, is a separate company from Symolem-ID Ltd, which is developing a Digital Product Passport verification platform. Advisory clients are told of this relationship, advisory recommendations are never conditioned on the use of Symolem-ID or any other product, and commercial information does not pass between the two companies except as the law and our clients permit. Beyond that, anyone working under this Code must disclose outside interests, appointments, or relationships that could conflict with a client engagement before the work begins, including roles in standards bodies, non-profits, and other ventures. Where a conflict cannot be managed transparently, we decline the work.

We exist to help the market move beyond sustainability claims that cannot be substantiated. We therefore hold our own claims to the standard we advise: nothing published or presented by Symolem — about our clients, our impact, our history, or ourselves — should assert what we cannot evidence. We do not assist clients in producing claims we believe to be misleading, and we will withdraw from work where that becomes the expectation.

Client information is confidential by default, whether or not an NDA is in place, and remains so after an engagement ends. We use client information only for the purpose it was shared, protect it with appropriate security measures, and never trade on it — commercially, competitively, or conversationally.

We comply with the UK Bribery Act 2010 and equivalent laws wherever we work. We do not offer, give, solicit, or accept bribes, facilitation payments, or improper inducements of any kind, directly or through others. Hospitality and gifts must be modest, transparent, and incapable of being read as influence — and in policy-facing work, where we engage with governments, regulators, and international bodies, the bar is higher still: our positions are argued on evidence, never bought or sold.

We treat everyone we work with — clients, colleagues, suppliers, and the communities affected by our work — with respect. We do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or bullying in any form, and we expect the same in the environments where our people work, including client sites. We are attentive to the power imbalances in the value chains we work on, particularly between the Global North and Global South, and we conduct ourselves as guests and partners in the communities our work touches, not as authorities over them.

The textile value chain carries well-documented human rights risks, from forced labour in production to the burdens of waste displaced onto receiving countries. We conduct our work consistent with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, we will not knowingly assist in concealing labour abuses or environmental harm, and we choose suppliers and partners with these standards in mind.

Anyone working under this Code who sees conduct that may breach it — or a law, or a client obligation — should raise it with the founder directly and without delay. Concerns raised in good faith will be taken seriously, handled with discretion, and never met with retaliation. If the concern involves the founder, it may be raised with the company's professional advisers.

This Code is owned by the founder and is under continuous review, alongside our Data Ethics and Responsible AI Statement. It is formally reviewed at least annually and updated whenever our work, our obligations, or the standards we hold ourselves to change. The next scheduled update will follow the close of our financial year on 31 August 2026. The effective date above reflects the most recent revision. Questions can be sent to lavinia@symolem.com, or via our contact page.