Operate Responsibly

Operate responsibly

Operate responsibly

We are committed to conducting ourselves with honesty, integrity, and respect for all

Doing the right thing is core to who we are. Our role as a genomics pioneer brings with it the responsibility to enable innovation for good, ensuring that the technology we create and the data we collect are used safely, ethically, and responsibly.

Practice strong corporate governance

By exercising strong corporate governance, we aim to inspire confidence in the work we do and in our company’s future.

Ilumina Meeting Room with people
Board of directors

Our Board of Directors is a diverse group of leaders who champion scientific innovation. The Board’s aim is to ensure the company is equipped with the tools it needs to accelerate the power of genomics. The Board has adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines which are founded on a commitment to building shareholder value, with an emphasis on responsible governance. These guidelines, together with the Code of Conduct and Board Committee Charters, provide the framework for corporate governance at Illumina.

Diverse and independent board

As stipulated in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, our company seeks to achieve a mix of Board members that represents a diversity of background and experience, including with respect to age, gender, international background, race, and specialized experience.

ESG governance

The full Board provides ESG oversight, and this past year we expanded the remit of the Nominating/ Corporate Governance Committee to assist the Board in overseeing the Company's material environmental, social, and governance matters (ESG), except as specifically delegated to another Board committee. The Compensation Committee continues to oversee and provide input to management on diversity and inclusion matters, and the Audit Committee continues to oversee cybersecurity.

Learn more

Meet our Ethics Advisory Board

Illumina Lab

Maintain a culture of compliance

At Illumina, we are at the forefront of the evolution of genomics from pure research to in vitro diagnostic (IVD) medical devices. With this evolution, we operate in the ever-changing, highly regulated IVD market and often interact with health care professionals and government officials, representatives, and agencies that regulate the markets in which we do business.

Illumina is committed to high standards of ethical business conduct, including compliance with all applicable anti-bribery/corruption and anti-kickback laws, as well as relevant medical device industry codes. Based on this commitment, Illumina has adopted a Code of Conduct and implements a robust anti-corruption compliance program aimed at ensuring that every employee has the knowledge and awareness to operate appropriately in this market.

Illumina has established a compliance committee to direct and oversee our compliance activities, including administration of the Code of Conduct and compliance program. We provide annual training on our Code of Conduct and Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption Policies for all employees globally and more focused training on other compliance-related policies.

We encourage our employees to raise concerns to their managers, HR, and the Compliance Department directly and have established a third-party Compliance and Fraud Prevention Hotline that Illumina employees and third parties may use to report concerns anonymously. We track and respond to all compliance concerns raised, acting promptly to identify offenses and take corrective action when necessary while observing a strict non-retaliation policy.

Read our Code of Conduct 

Make responsible public policy decisions

To help expand access and reach of genomics, we proactively and responsibly engage policymakers and key stakeholders around the world on issues that are important to our mission and business. In accordance with our Code of Conduct, we commit to upholding compliance and ethics in our dealings with governments, government agencies and public officials. We are dedicated and committed to expanding access to the power of genomics to patients across the globe through constructive and transparent engagement with governments.

Advocating for public policies that ensure and enable broad access to genomic technologies is a priority. Our legislative priorities:

  • Advancement of precision medicine
  • Adoption and reimbursement for genetic testing
  • Adoption and reimbursement for NIPT
  • Adoption of genomic infectious disease surveillance
  • Promoting STEM opportunities

View Our Annual Political Activity Report

Download the Political Contribution Policy

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Upholding human rights for all stakeholders

We are committed to respecting human rights and treating every stakeholder with dignity and respect. We acknowledge and respect the fundamental principles contained in the International Bill of Rights (i.e., United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights), the International Labor Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. As a member of the United Nations Global Compact, Illumina is committed to integrating these principles into our strategy, our culture, our operations, and our relationships with business partners

View our Human Rights Policy

Diverse, Inclusive, and Equitable Culture

Ethical use of genomic technologies

Illumina is steadfast in our commitment that genomic technologies should be used to benefit humanity, and we will only work with partners who further this mission. Our Human Rights Policy and customer agreements outline our expectations regarding ethical business conduct, the use of our technology, and the steps we can take in the event of a possible violation.

We have expanded and enhanced our oversight and accountability processes to monitor and enforce these commitments and prevent sales that could result in misuse or human rights concerns before they happen. Illumina is committed to investigating potential reports of product misuse and will not hesitate to cease sales to business partners in the event of a confirmed ethics or human rights concern.

Ethics Advisory Board

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Uphold the highest standards for data security and privacy

As we expand access to genomics around the world, we must also respect and properly secure the resulting data.

Genomics data is powering positive progress around the world. We are committed to developing, upholding, and promoting high standards for genomic data privacy. We develop, implement, and review privacy-related policies, practices, and contractual language and ensure the integration of privacy as a priority throughout the company. Our Privacy Policy defines the way we use, maintain, protect, disclose, and transfer personal information.

Privacy Policy

Privacy Principles

Privacy Transparency Report

Lab Technician

Artificial intelligence ethics principles

Illumina is dedicated to improving human health by unlocking the power of the genome. Our mission drives everything we do, including the technology we develop. Illumina creates and uses artificial intelligence (AI) systems to power industry-leading sequencing quality, fuel data insights, improve understanding of genomic variation in relation to health and disease, and advance genomic science. We define AI systems to include machine learning, deep learning, and predictive modeling. Illumina is committed to developing and using AI according to applicable laws and the following guiding principles:

  • Transparency
  • Diversity, nondiscrimination, and fairness
  • Values-driven design
  • Accountability

View AI Ethics Principles

Foster a responsible supply chain

Illumina’s global supply chain consists of suppliers, sub-contractors, channel partners, manufacturing sites, distribution centers, and customers. We consider it business-critical to work with suppliers who share our commitment to integrity and who support an ethical and compliant culture. We view our suppliers as partners in our effort to work toward a more equitable and sustainable future for all.

We hold our suppliers to the same standards of business conduct that we set for ourselves. We require them to comply with the standards of behavior outlined in our Supplier Code of Conduct and exhibit social responsibility and environmental stewardship.

Our supplier diversity efforts aim to cultivate a supplier base that reflects the diversity of our communities, customers, employees, and the local economies where we operate. We recognize that a diverse supplier base provides a competitive business advantage by harnessing suppliers’ unique experiences and creative solutions. Our program, overseen by a Supplier Diversity Governance Committee, promotes partnership opportunities for suppliers in the US that are at least 51% owned, managed, and controlled by a qualifying diverse group.

View Supplier Code of Conduct

2030 Supply Chain Goals
Most Trusted

20%
total spend allocated to diverse suppliers

Most Trusted

100%
strategic suppliers commit to reducing environment footprint