Total's commitment to ethics principles and practices is coordinated by our Ethics Committee and formally expressed in our Code of Conduct, providing a framework for real-world actions. The initiatives deployed place ethics at the heart of our activities.

A Code of Conduct inspired by universal rules

Published in October 2000, the Code of Conduct is the main reference document for all Total employees and governs business practices. It expresses our formal support for:

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• The fundamental conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
• The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
• The United Nations Global Compact.

Currently available in 16 languages, the Code of Conduct is adapted where appropriate to the country, type of operation and business and is regularly enhanced.

Resources to help employees embrace our Code of Conduct

Education and awareness
To heighten employee awareness of the principles set out in the Code of Conduct, Total created an Ethics Committee in 2001. In addition to regular presentations at Group seminars, the Committee has developed the Business & Ethics seminar. Since 2003, 2,000 people have attended 30 sessions of the seminar, which includes workshops that focus on real-world examples. In addition to this training, we have introduced a new international seminar on our broader corporate social responsibility in 2006, with six sessions attended by 400 participants. Employees can also access information on a dedicated intranet site launched in 2005 that describes our process, details priority actions and provides access to key reference documents related to ethics issues.

Advice
Employees faced with an ethical dilemma or any practice they feel does not comply with the Code of Conduct can contact the Ethics Committee. This completely confidential referral process goes outside the normal management channels, allowing employees to solicit advice or present a real problem. In 2006, the Ethics Committee reviewed 60 cases, one-third of which concerned relations with supervisors and another third addressed integrity issues.

Assessing practices to gauge effectiveness

In cooperation with U.K. accreditation company GoodCorporation, Total has developed a methodology to assess application of the Code of Conduct. The process, which identifies strengths and weaknesses at each operational unit with regard to 84 evidence points based on the Code enables:

• Objective verification of application of the Code of Conduct by the unit from the perspective of its stakeholders.
• Sharing and promotion of real-world experience and best practices at the Group level.

Since 2002, 41 ethical assessments have been conducted, including six in 2006. The results show, on average:

• 60% good or excellent practices.
• 24% evidence points needing improvement.
• 16% deficient or inadequate processes.

To measure progress made since the last assessments, Total is now conducting reassessments at a number subsidiaries (five in 2006). A self-assessment procedure is also being deployed to allow units to assess their compliance with the Code of Conduct themselves.

Special attention is paid to our ethics process in subsidiaries and is supported by tangible commitments, as examples at Total South Africa and Total Nigeria show.