Employee Q&A: Having Heart and Safeguarding Human Rights
Clarise Ashworth, Director of Product Stewardship and Compliance
Our people making a difference is a series featured throughout Owens Corning’s 2023 Sustainability Report.
A career as an environmental lawyer has been a way for Clarise Ashworth to combine two things she cares about deeply: the environment and the well-being of people. Her work has brought her to Owens Corning, where she has helped oversee product stewardship and compliance since 2021. Clarise is also actively involved in our work to ensure that the people with whom we interact are treated with dignity and respect, and she shares her perspective on why that’s important for Owens Corning.
On the collaboration required in our efforts to safeguard human rights
The Product Stewardship and Compliance teams directly support Owens Corning’s 2030 sustainability goals and its commitment to human rights. The Compliance team is accountable for our human rights Policy and our Business Code of Conduct. We actively partner with Human Resources, Sourcing, and our business partners to ensure that all people engaged in our day-to-day operations are treated with dignity and respect and their basic human rights are protected. Our global Product Stewardship function, which ensures that our products are safe to make and use and perform as expected, also plays a role by ensuring that our input materials are conflict-free and responsibly sourced.
On staying true to our core values
Our very purpose is that “Our people and our products make the world a better place.” How could we ever achieve this purpose if the people involved in making our products are not treated with the utmost dignity and respect? For me, I would say that working to ensure all peoples’ basic human rights is more than a part of our approach to sustainability; it’s simply the right thing to do. It is fundamentally who we are, as a company. In my opinion, we cannot make the world a better place unless we are relentlessly focused on making people’s lives better. We must recognize that many people’s day-to-day existence can differ significantly from ours, acknowledge that we all have a part to play in making the world a better place for everyone, and actively work to ensure that dignity and respect are freely given and safety is fundamental. If we can do that, the rest takes care of itself.
On what sets Owens Corning apart as a company in this area
Owens Corning has heart. That’s not something that you can write into your Articles of Incorporation or a business plan. It comes from the people who show up every day and dedicate themselves to the work at hand. As individuals, we are all unique. We look different. We think different. We act different. But together, we form the collective conscience of the company. What I see when I look around is generosity, pure heart, and a genuine respect for each other. That’s what sets us apart.
