Northern Trust's Corporate Social Responsibility Reports

Northern Trust has aligned our efforts with our guiding principles of service, expertise and integrity. We are dedicated not only to meeting the needs of our clients and shareholders,

Northern Trust recognizes that the long-term viability of our business and that of our clients is tied to the health and well-being of our planet. We therefore commit to protecting and preserving the environment through the services we provide and to eliminating or mitigating any negative environmental impacts from our operations. We align our business with the fundamental principle of sustainability meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Northern Trust enforces a workforce policy that does not tolerate discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religious choice and many other personal characteristics. In addition, we do not tolerate forced labor, child labor or violating the rights of indigenous people. Our guiding principles embrace inclusion and diversity of culture, thought, experience and other attributes of individuals’ backgrounds, and we hold in highest regard the dignity of, and respect for, all partners in our workplace. We support the principles set forth by the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights and strive to treat all individuals equally.

Community involvement is deeply rooted in the Northern Trust culture, affecting the way we do business globally. Since our founding in 1889, Northern Trust has actively advanced a culture of caring and a commitment to invest responsibly in the communities we serve worldwide. This philosophy continues today through progressive community investments; contributions to service and community organizations; partner volunteerism; gifts in-kind such as donations of meeting space, catering, supplies and other knowledge services; and directorship guidance to charitable and civic boards.

Our Corporate Social Responsibility strategy is integrated into our core business strategy. This means we collaborate with our clients and acknowledge our responsibility in supporting sustainable business relationships. We proudly advocate corporate citizenship, philanthropy and support for the diverse communities and environments in which we operate.

Throughout the year we actively engage in dialogue with our stakeholders – clients, partners, shareholders, communities, regulators, suppliers and peers. These stakeholder groups are determined based on our business strategy of serving corporations, institutions and affluent individuals worldwide. Each stakeholder group affects our reputation, policies and best practices.

“In the financial service sector, environmental sustainability take many forms. From best-in-class facilities management to innovative employee engagement activities we take this work seriously. In 2014, we are proud to report a more than 10% decrease in our overall emissions per full-time employee, based on base year 2011. The efforts of professionals around the globe working to eliminate and mitigate negative environmental impacts from our operations made this decrease possible.”

“Our diverse workforce is an important part of what enables our firm to be a best in class provider of products and services around the globe. Our senior leaders are engaged, which creates an environment of awareness, action and accountability. Our support of communities where our employees live and work is an important part of this strategy which we advance through our commitment to invest responsibly in communities.”

“Northern Trust has a heritage of acting with the highest ethics. The utmost honesty. And unfailing reliability. We have the wisdom earned through generations of relationships. The stability to weather change and uncertainty. And the insight to understand that diversity makes us stronger. For 125 years, our integrity has remained intact. And we have no intention of that changing."

“In everything we do, expertise has always been at Northern Trust’s core. We know what we do well, and focus sharply on those things. We expand our knowledge and capabilities with an eye on the future. We hire and support talented professionals to help deliver creative solutions. Our expertise is why we’ve been a trusted advisor for five generations, and will continue to be for generations to come.”