Environmental, Social & Governance

Sustainability

We observe a number of practices that are designed to support environmental stewardship through sustainability. We seek to address environmental considerations through our programs, including issues related to deforestation, waste, energy use, recycling and conservation of resources used in building materials.

We have strategically aligned our sustainability and environmental programs with the materials we use to make our products, the paper we use to print our Source Books and the iconic buildings we chose to renovate and restore as part of our portfolio of Design Galleries.

We have pioneered a number of product collections that incorporate the use of reclaimed and repurposed wood from older buildings where these materials can be procured. We also work with our vendors to support responsible wood sourcing practices and compliance with applicable regulations concerning the origin of new wood and other product inputs.

Our Source Books are printed – and have been printed for a number of years – on Forest Stewardship Council (or FSC) Certified Catalog Paper. FSC is a third party certification organization that evaluates those who manage the care of forests. Using FSC certified paper in the production of our Source Books is designed to assure that paper is not contributing to destructive practices in forestry such as illegal logging, conversion of natural forests to other land uses, the liquidation of high conservation value forests, civil rights violations and genetic modification of forest species.

Our proxy statement, as well as previous proxy statements, have also been printed with FSC Paper.

We also promote a paperless alternative to Source Books through the presentation of our product assortment digitally. Our associates use iPads and other devices to showcase our product assortment to our customers in our Galleries. This service allows our customers to shop our entire merchandise assortment in our retail Galleries.

We work closely with our delivery network, distribution centers, home office facilities teams, Galleries and Outlets to divert packaging, product and other forms of waste from landfills. We have instituted a number of other initiatives to reuse and repurpose materials in lieu of traditional waste practices.

In 2015, we established a program with Habitat for Humanity to donate products in support of this organization as part of our philanthropy and sustainability efforts. We donate merchandise to Habitat for Humanity that does not meet our "first quality" standards. These "second quality" and "third quality" products are thereby diverted from landfills. Our program with Habitat for Humanity started in Tracy, California and now includes Galleries, Outlets and distribution centers across the U.S. and Canada. In 2019, Habitat for Humanity Greater Vancouver awarded RH a Community Donor Award as a Silver Level Donor.

We require certain RH Baby & Child merchandise to have received GREENGUARD Gold certification, the highest level of certification under GREENGUARD, requiring that such products meet strict chemical emissions limits and screening procedures.

Waste & Packaging
We work closely with our delivery centers, distribution centers, home office facilities teams, Galleries and Outlets to assist in finding resources and other options to help divert product and packaging waste from landfills. For example, we look for ways to divert products that do not meet our quality standards such as products that cannot be sold through our Galleries and Outlets as a result of damage or returns. These “second quality” and “third quality” products have been proactively donated through product diversion programs resulting in an estimated 660,000 pounds (330 tons) of waste diverted from landfills in 2019, an estimated 639,000 pounds (320 tons) diverted in 2020 and an estimated 537,440 pounds (269 tons) in 2021.

We also have guidelines and procedures in place with our in-sourced home delivery teams and our third-party home delivery partners to offer to collect and recycle packaging materials from our customers at the time of the product delivery and installation process.

Electricity Consumption
Across our Galleries and Showrooms, Outlets, distribution centers, our manufacturing site and our home offices, we have been steadily lowering our electricity consumption per capita through our U.S. and Canadian operations. Below is a four-year look back at our electricity consumption at locations we are able to monitor on a fiscal year basis.

ENERGY CONSUMPTION	2018	2019	2020	2021
Number of Locations	128 (1)	129 (2)	133 (3)	143 (4)
United States	63,007,070 kWh	61,596,125 kWh	57,764,156 kWh	62,577,982 kWh
Canada	2,893,703 kWh	2,668,559 kWh	2,063,323 kWh	2,063,204 kWh
TOTAL	65,900,772 kWh	64,264,684 kWh	59,827,479 kWh (5)	64,641,185 kWh

(1) Consists of 6 DCs, 66 Galleries, 14 HDCs, 31 Outlets and 8 other facilities in the U.S. and 2 Galleries and 1 Outlet in Canada.

(2) Consists of 4 DCs, 66 Galleries, 16 HDCs, 32 Outlets and 8 other facilities in the U.S. and 2 Galleries and 1 Outlet in Canada.

(3) Consists of 3 DCs, 65 Galleries, 19 HDCs, 32 Outlets and 11 other facilities in the U.S. and 2 Galleries and 1 Outlet in Canada.

(4) Consists of 4 DCs, 67 Galleries, 25 HDCs, 33 Outlets, and 11 other facilities in the U.S. and 2 Galleries and 1 Outlet in Canada.

(5) A majority of RH facilities were temporarily closed from March to June in 2020 due to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The previous table was derived from information provided to us by ENGIE Insight Services Inc., our third-party energy infrastructure and building services provider that helps manage our electricity usage in certain of our select locations and facilities. We do not currently have data for all of our facilities as some of our locations, for example, are part of an integrated multi-tenant commercial complex such as a mall or shopping center where electricity usage is co-mingled with other tenants and is managed by our landlord. We collect and use the data referenced above in order to monitor our electricity usage and to conserve electricity use at these locations. We cannot assure that the results shown for our locations monitored by ENGIE Insight Services are representative of other locations for which we do not have the same access to data regarding electricity use.

We believe our greatest savings impact in terms of electricity usage has been driven by elements of our lighting campaign. Through a targeted approach to our lighting systems, we have expanded the use of LED bulbs in many of our Galleries. We anticipate further gains can be achieved through the continuation of this initiative during 2022 resulting in the conversion of more of our lighting to energy efficient LED alternatives.

We have also been reviewing potential options to include renewable sources in our energy portfolio.

LEED Certification
As part of our real estate development projects, we address energy efficiency as one important factor in our development efforts. Some of our new Galleries have incorporated more energy efficient alternatives including, in some instances, LEED certified standards. As an example, in September 2016, we opened RH Austin, The Gallery at The Domain at 11720 Domain Boulevard which is a LEED Gold Certified building. In 2015, we opened our distribution center in Patterson, California which is also a LEED Gold Certified building. In 2020, we opened another distribution center in Ontario, California which is also a LEED Certified building.

Architectural & Design Legacy
Since 2011, RH has opened 29 new Galleries. As part of our development of new Galleries, RH has updated and renovated a number of historic buildings including among others our Gallery locations in Boston, Chicago, Greenwich, San Francisco, New York, New Jersey (under development) and England (under development). These projects enable RH to preserve important architectural contributions and have the additional benefit of reusing and repurposing substantial amounts of legacy building materials that are preserved in these Gallery redesigns. In contrast to new construction, these redesigned historical buildings rely on substantial amounts of the original building materials where possible. In many instances, we have been able to preserve substantial elements of the original building and super structure, as well as important design elements of the historic features of these locations. By preserving a significant portion of the original building, we are able to conserve the amount of new building materials that are used in these projects. 

RH has great respect for architectural design and history and has reestablished the relevance of several historic and landmark buildings, giving them renewed purpose and bringing them to modern use. It is often the case that developing a new building from the ground up is more economical than restoring and renovating a historic building. When we choose to renovate historic landmark buildings, we approach the project as an investment in our brand elevation and real estate transformation strategy, as well as an investment in a long-term sustainable approach to Gallery development. Many of these landmark buildings are in a state of disrepair at the time we take possession of them and through our careful restoration we redevelop them into Galleries that reinforce our luxury brand aesthetic and highly differentiated, elevated customer experience.

In April 2013, we opened RH Boston, The Gallery at the Historic Museum of Natural History at 234 Berkeley Street in Boston, Massachusetts. We restored this landmark building that was originally designed in 1862 by distinguished architect William G. Preston and was only the second building to be erected in Boston's famous Back Bay. Our restoration efforts earned us the Preservation Achievement Award through the Boston Preservation Alliance.

In May 2014, we opened RH Greenwich, The Gallery at the Historic Post Office at 310 Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich, Connecticut. We restored this storied neoclassical building that was originally built in 1917. This building sits in the heart of Greenwich Avenue’s Historic District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In October 2015, we opened RH Chicago, The Gallery at the Three Arts Club at 1300 North Dearborn Parkway on Chicago’s famed Historic Gold Coast. We restored this landmark building, which was designed in 1914 by distinguished architectural firm Holabird & Roche and was inaugurated as a residence for young women studying music, drama and the visual arts. We restored the entire structure with great respect for its original vision in collaboration with the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. The Gold Coast district, where RH Chicago is located, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Three Arts Club was named a Chicago Landmark in 1981.

In September 2018, we opened RH New York, The Gallery in the Historic Meatpacking District at the intersection of Little West 12th Street, Ninth Avenue and Gansevoort Street. We restored this historic landmark building that was originally owned by John Jacob Astor in the late 19th century. The Meatpacking District, where RH New York is located, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In December 2018, we reopened Ma(i)sonry as RH Wine Vault as part of RH Yountville in the heart of wine country at 6711 Washington Street, Yountville, California. We restored this landmark building, which was originally designed in 1902 by its owner and vintner Charles Rovegno with the help of Angelo Brovelli, a local mason responsible for many of Napa County's idyllic stone bridges. This historic structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as well as on the Napa County Historic Resources Inventory.

In May 2022, we opened RH San Francisco, The Gallery at the Historic Bethlehem Steel Building at the corner of Illinois & 20th Streets, San Francisco, CA in the second quarter of fiscal 2022. Originally constructed in 1917 and designed in the Classical Revival style by preeminent San Francisco architect Frederick H. Meyer, we restored this landmark building with great respect for its original vision. The Historic Bethlehem Steel Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

We are planning to open RH Guesthouse at 55 Gansevoort Street in New York, NY in fiscal 2022. The 55 Gansevoort building is located in the Gansevoort Market Historic District which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Our restoration of this historic landmark building, which dates to 1887 and was designed by architect Joseph M. Dunn, is underway.

We are developing RH England, The Gallery at the Historic Aynhoe Park. The earliest records indicate that a London mercer bought the manor of Aynhoe in 1545. The manor house at Aynhoe Park has been remodeled many times since it was built. We acquired Aynhoe Park in 2020 and intend to continue to redevelop, restore and breathe new life into this iconic historic site, which is considered to be a building of exceptional interest under the National Heritage List for England.

We are developing RH Morristown in New Jersey, The Gallery at the Historic Alnwick Hall, also known as the Abbey. Alnwick Hall was built in 1904 for Edward P. Meany, the New Jersey Judge Advocate General and director of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. Edward P. Meany based the design of the house off of the Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, England. We look forward to bringing new life to this prominent landmark in Morristown.

We are developing RH London in the UK, The Gallery at the Historic 7 Burlington Gardens, also known as Queensberry House situated in Mayfair. The building was constructed in 1725 and was named after the fair that was typically held in May, every two weeks for about 80 years. At one point in time, it served as a branch of the Bank of England.

Aligned with our efforts to honor the legacy of great architecture and design, Waterworks supports the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, the Nantucket Historical Association and the Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation.  Waterworks believes in supporting non-profit organizations that educate professionals and the general public in architecture, design and its allied arts in furtherance of their preservation for future generations.

We care about the well-being of our people, customers, and communities, which is an important factor that influences our actions in many areas of our business operations. Our ESG programs are designed in part to support the ethical treatment of people including our associates, customers, vendors and other stakeholders. We seek to promote workplace health and favorable working conditions for our people.

Our goal is to have the most qualified person in every position. We have a policy that prohibits us from discriminating against any applicant or associate. This policy governs all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, compensation, discipline, job assignments, benefits, transfer and discharge.

RH is committed to providing a productive work environment free of unlawful harassment. Our company policies prohibit any form of harassment that has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work performance, or that creates an intimidating, hostile, abusive or offensive work environment.

We maintain an open door policy where our associates are encouraged to stop by to discuss any suggestions or address any concerns they might have. We believe that most work-related obstacles can be best addressed through open and honest communications.

We maintain an anonymous hotline where submitted complaints, concerns and grievances are reviewed and addressed with the objective that no associate submitting such complaints will be disciplined, penalized or otherwise retaliated against for raising a good-faith concern either through the hotline or under our open door policy.

COVID-19 Response
In 2021, RH undertook a variety of steps to continue to protect the health, safety and well-being of our associates and customers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For fiscal 2021, all RH customer facing locations remained open to the public for most of the year, with the exception of periodic closures of certain restaurant locations, including Toronto and Marin as mandated by local authorities, as well as operational restrictions in place at various times with respect to numerous Gallery and restaurant locations. Our locations have continued to operate in accordance with applicable local restrictions and mandates, including capacity limitations on seating and building occupancy as well as other restrictions applicable with respect to some of our restaurants as dictated by circumstances in place at each location.

Our home office workforce returned to the office after local restrictions were lifted for non-essential workers in late March 2021. For those who could not perform remote work, adjustments were made to physical workspaces to provide social distancing between workers and facial coverings were required to be worn in accordance with local mandates. Throughout fiscal 2021, we continued to utilize enhanced cleaning protocols.

With respect to on-going operations, we have taken measures to ensure a safe and comfortable experience for both our associates and customers. We have implemented written policies, protocols, and signage in response to COVID-19 and in accordance with CDC guidance and mandates for local health authorities. We invested significant resources in enhanced sanitation and personal protective equipment (“PPE”), including hand sanitizers and face coverings for all facilities. We also continue to offer free COVID-19 testing and test kits for our associates. We have complied with all face covering and vaccine mandates, as required by the regulations applicable to each location, and continue to utilize deep cleaning protocols as necessary.

As enhanced safety measure to our customers, we continue to offer contactless deliveries, curbside pickup, and pick-up windows during off-hours upon request.

With respect to RH associates, we continue to update our policies and operating procedures to ensure a safe workplace. We developed RH Health Check, a health application designed to track associates’ daily health screen, vaccine and testing status, where required to do so. We have dedicated resources to assisting associates with obtaining COVID-19 tests and healthcare as necessary and provide paid sick leave to benefits-eligible associates and where required by law.

Unlike the circumstances we faced during fiscal 2020, COVID-19 did not cause any workforce restructurings or salary deferrals during fiscal 2021.

RH continues to update its policies and procedures in response to changing conditions, including the latest virus trends and government guidance.

Our Associates
We believe deeply that the “right” people are our greatest asset. Our success is thus dependent upon our ability to retain continued service of our key personnel, particularly our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and to attract, retain and motivate qualified leaders and associates across all parts of our organization, including Galleries, Hospitality, Outlets, Showrooms, distribution centers, home delivery centers and customer delight centers.

For fiscal year 2021, the combined teams at RH and Waterworks are approximately 6,500 people comprised of full-time, part-time and temporary associates, including those based in our retail and outlet locations as of January 29, 2022. We have decided to include approximately 330 Waterworks associates as part of our fiscal year 2021 workforce diversity metrics, which includes the chart on our “Our People,” and the FY21 charts on “Gender Diversity” and on “Racial and Ethnic Diversity.”

Our People

 

For us, the provision of a comprehensive benefits program is an investment in our associates. We recognize the value our associates bring to RH and to Waterworks, and we are committed to offering an array of opportunities from which they can choose. In addition to select perks, including discounts on tickets, technology and more, we offer the following to eligible associates:

Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance	Employee Assistance Program
Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts	401(K) Retirement Savings Plan
Transit and Parking Benefits (Pre-Tax)	Associate Discounts
Health Savings Account	Referral Bonuses
Life Insurance	Other wellness benefits
Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance

Workforce Diversity
We maintain a diverse workforce. RH is an equal opportunity employer, and we believe in meritocratic hiring. We strongly believe our performance is enhanced by our workforce being comprised of individuals with diverse backgrounds, skills and experience that align with the needs of our business.

We believe this approach naturally leads to a gender and ethnically diverse workforce. We believe that our commitment to diversity is demonstrated by the composition of our workforce.

The following charts present the gender, racial and ethnic composition of our workforce over the past four fiscal years. As part of our workforce diversity metrics for fiscal 2021, we included the team of approximately 330 people at Waterworks.

Gender Diversity

 

Racial and Ethnic Diversity

 

For topics related to the composition of our board and its diversity please refer to “—Composition and Qualifications of our Board of Directors” under the section “Corporate Governance.”

Responsible Sourcing
We expect our values and principles to be maintained throughout our business, including our supply chain. We require our vendors to adhere to our Vendor Code of Conduct (the “Vendor Code of Conduct”) as well as other requirements. Our Vendor Code of Conduct is designed to promote the principles of fair and ethical treatment of workers, compliance with all applicable local laws, rules and regulations, and transparency to allow for accountability and reasonable substantiation of compliance.

Through our Vendor Code of Conduct as well as other requirements including our vendor operations manual, our vendors must agree to adhere to numerous workplace standards and principles, including compliance with laws and requirements relating to wages and compensation, the support of freedom of association, the prevention of unlawful discrimination and the promotion of the health, safety and dignity of people that work for vendors participating in our supply chain.

To monitor compliance of vendors with the Vendor Code of Conduct and other applicable requirements necessary to promote the production of safe products that meet RH’s standards in appropriate working conditions, we rely on our Social and Vendor Compliance Program and our Product Safety and Compliance Program. Both of these programs leverage third-party organizations in order to monitor that our vendors are adhering to our expected standards.

We have partnered with international non-profit organizations including Fair Working Conditions, GoodWeave, and Label STEP, to monitor our third party vendors with respect to working conditions and compliance with labor standards. Our approach includes working with mission-minded organizations that can monitor our suppliers’ factories, workshops, and home based work, and can take other measures to support our vendors in complying with standards related to working conditions and responsible practices.

Our suppliers are expected to certify and acknowledge adherence to our Vendor Code of Conduct and other requirements which set forth numerous vendor obligations and rules related to compliance with applicable working conditions and other standards in support of responsible business practices. Vendors in our network must participate in our Social and Vendor Compliance Program, which authorizes us and our agents access to conduct inspections and audits of vendors’ facilities.

We have partnered with Benchmark International to monitor for products made with endangered plant species or plant species that are harvested illegally. Benchmark International is an accredited, independent auditing and testing lab with world-wide expertise in the areas of Lacey Act & EUTR compliance, TSCA compliance and wood testing.

In 2021, we partnered with Assent, an industry-leading supply chain data management company that enhances automation and accuracy when collecting, submitting or managing data related to ESG, product safety & compliance and vendor compliance. Assent has automated our processes such as vendor onboarding and other vendor compliance processes.

We have established guidelines around the use in our supply chain of conflict minerals (which we define to include columbite-tantalite (coltan), cassiterite, gold, wolframite, and their derivatives, which are limited to tantalum, tin and tungsten) sourced from central African countries to address concerns over the exploitation and trade of minerals that supports ongoing conflicts in the region.

We require our vendors to conduct their sourcing in compliance with local and internationally recognized laws and with commonly viewed best industry practices with respect to animal welfare. We do not condone the mistreatment of animals. We monitor certain animal and natural products such as those made with down and feathers, including a number of measures and practices in support of our efforts to obtain down and feathers from ethical and humane sources. We offer alternatives to down and feathers with respect to many of our products to provide for additional customer choice and preference. We also comply with and monitor bans in certain states and municipalities on the sale of fur, and we monitor supply chain traceability with regard to the sources of our Belgian linen.

Product Safety & Compliance
We maintain a product safety and compliance program in support of our efforts to sell products that are safe and to protect our customers and our people. We seek to maintain consistent quality of our manufacturers’ products through a range of measures to assess quality and identify opportunities in order to promote prompt responses to any identified issues. Our quality assurance measures include a variety of monitoring procedures and practices such as inspection of pre-production samples, site visits of our vendors’ production facilities and inspection of inbound shipments at our distribution facilities.

The RH Product Safety & Compliance team works in partnership with our vendors, third-party laboratories, and technical experts in connection with testing for regulatory, industry, and brand standards. We believe that partnering with accredited labs across the globe helps RH to monitor products and materials for issues of safety and quality.

As part of the adoption of any new product, the RH Product Safety & Compliance team reviews products at the individual SKU level as well as across collections of similar products to address product safety and regulatory requirements and establish the appropriate test protocols to be applied. We work closely with third-party testing laboratories to execute product testing in accordance with RH’s specifications. 

In addition to certifications and testing, we actively monitor CPSC and other industry related safety alerts and product recalls are listed on our website. Often these recalls are conducted on a voluntary basis to avoid any potential harm. As such, our notices provide detailed updates of the products that are recalled, the reason, and the reimbursement, replacement or refund opportunities.

The GREENGUARD standard is used to determine emissions caused by Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from building materials, finishes and furnishings. We require certain RH Baby & Child merchandise to have received GREENGUARD Gold certification, the highest level of certification under GREENGUARD, requiring that such products meet strict chemical emissions limits and screening them for over 10,000 chemicals and more than 360 VOCs. We are in the process of expanding our offering of GREENGUARD certified collections to include additional products beyond those currently offered under this standard.

Through our Product Safety & Compliance testing program, RH also monitors various chemicals that may be hazardous to human health and/or the environment.

Philanthropy
RH follows a number of approaches in relation to charitable donations and other aspects of philanthropy. As part of various Gallery Development projects, RH has donated products and design services to civic centers, local charities and schools in order to engender community goodwill. Since 2016, we have donated close to $47 million of product at cost to a variety of charities and non-profit organizations related to the communities where we live and work. Additionally, RH sponsors local community charities in connection with Gallery opening events. We have made numerous donations to third party charities in connection with our business operations. Examples of non-profit organizations to whom we have made donations include Art Institute Chicago, Joffrey Ballet, Chicago Children’s Choir, The Denver Art Museum, Children’s Hospital Colorado, RxArt, The Art of Elysium, Moffitt Cancer Center, Children’s Mercy Hospital Kansas City, Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, Just Keep Livin’ Foundation, After-School All-Stars Las Vegas, Seattle Art Museum, Norton Museum of Art, SickKids Foundation, Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Foundation, The First Art Museum, Free Arts NYC, Friends of the Highline, Children’s Cancer Research Fund, Columbus Museum of Art, 3Arts, and Two x Two.

In 2017, we partnered with Good360 on a disaster recovery project in Lafayette, Louisiana to help flood victims. RH donated close to $300,000 of product at cost and sent volunteers to assist with the project to help get families and individuals back into their homes after massive flooding. This donation project earned RH the Circle of Good Award from Good360. The award is given to corporate and nonprofit partners who go above and beyond in creating meaningful, measurable and sustainable impact in the lives of those in need.

RH also provides local donations to communities where our associates live and work, and in the case of the northern California wildfires in recent years, donated goods to help support rest areas for first responders, temporary shelters for fire victims, and the relief and rebuilding efforts of those who were affected by the fires. Other examples of organizations to whom we have made donations include: UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, UCSF Dec My Room, San Francisco Toy Program, SchoolsRule Marin, Furniture Bank of Central Ohio, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, PlumpJack Foundation, Slide Ranch, The BreastFest, Dress for a Cure, Mercy Home for Boys & Girls, 826DC, 826Valencia, Homeward Bound of Marin, Gilead House, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Bay Area, Conolly Ranch, Vina Capital Foundation (Covid Relief), and many local schools and smaller nonprofit organizations close to our Galleries, distribution centers and corporate office.

Waterworks supports its communities through gifts along with sponsorship of volunteer day programs for its associates with various local non-profit organizations such as with Habitat for Humanity, Golden Heart Ranch, and Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club. Since 2014, Waterworks has been an active and regular supporter of Ann’s Place, a non-profit organization that serves and supports individuals with cancer.

Rain Room Donation to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
As part of the launch of our contemporary art program in 2013, RH acquired the first edition of Rain Room by the art collective Random International in 2012. The Rain Room was exhibited at London’s Barbican Centre, The Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). In 2016, we ultimately decided to donate the Rain Room to LACMA as part of LACMA’s permanent collection.

2021 Holiday Giving Campaign
In November 2021, RH, in collaboration with Feeding America initiated an associate giving campaign whereby every donation made by associates would be matched dollar for dollar by RH. All donations collected went towards providing over 300,000 meals to those in need.

In December 2021, RH, in collaboration with St. Jude initiated an associate giving campaign whereby through the month of December until Christmas Eve, associates could donate to the St. Jude Research Hospital for collections to be used for travel, treatment, housing and food.

We have numerous governance policies and practices as noted above in this proxy statement in the section entitled “Corporate Governance” regarding our Board of Directors and overall governance framework.

Ethical Conduct
At RH, we’re committed to conducting our affairs in accordance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations of the countries in which we do business. Our Code of Business Conduct (the “Code of Conduct”) applies to everyone at RH including our associates, officers and directors in addition to certain independent contractors, consultants and advisors who work at our facilities or on the Company’s behalf. We also have a Code of Ethics for our Chief Executive Officer and Senior Financial Officers that promotes honest and ethical conduct and compliance.

Our Code of Conduct is designed to promote honest and ethical conduct, including (i) the promotion of honest and ethical business practices, (ii) the handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships, (iii) compliance with governmental laws, rules and regulations, (iv) prompt internal reporting of violations, and (v) accountability for adherence to the requirements of the Code of Conduct. A few of the topics and issues covered by our Code of Conduct include:

Anti-Bribery	Insider Trading
Anti-Corruption	Investment Policy
Conflicts of Interest	Political Contributions & Lobbying
Fair Competition	U.S. Sanctions Compliance Policy
Fair Dealing	Whistleblower policy
Gifts & Entertainment

 

RH’s Chief Compliance Officer oversees and administers the Company’s corporate and compliance policies with the objective of (i) fostering a culture that integrates compliance and ethics into business processes and practices and (ii) maintaining and monitoring a system for reporting and investigating potential compliance and ethics concerns.

The Chief Compliance Officer reports regularly to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors and/or the Nominating and Governance Committee as appropriate with regard to (i) the Company’s compliance with applicable laws and regulations, (ii) relevant topics concerning the Company’s corporate governance, and (iii) any other material matters within the responsibility of the Chief Compliance Officer.

We further discuss some of our compliance and governance policies and practices below.

Anti-Corruption Policy
Our anti-corruption policy supplements our Code of Conduct and requires compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the growing body of international anti-corruption laws and prohibits the Company and our affiliates, directors, officers, associates, agents and representatives from unduly influencing officials or foreign governments and political officials. Oversight for this policy falls under RH’s Chief Compliance Officer.

We require our vendors to comply with our anti-corruption standards including periodically renewing certifications to the Company of the vendor’s compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act and other applicable anti-corruption laws and regulations.

As part of our broader anti-corruption efforts, we have adopted processes and procedures with the objective of avoiding transactions with countries sanctioned by the U.S. government. Among other compliance measures, we monitor business activity and third parties to reduce the risk of conducting transactions with sanctioned parties, specifically including persons and entities identified on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list maintained by the U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”).

We additionally have an expenditure and signature authority policy that is refreshed annually by our Board of Directors that covers the expenditure limits of our associates, including executives by level, and that further typically limits associates from binding the Company to contractual obligations outside of their principal areas of responsibilities.

Conflict Minerals Policy
We seek to source safe, quality products made in a manner consistent with our values of ethical business conduct, the use of responsible social and environmental practices and the protection of human rights. We maintain a Conflict Minerals Policy that is incorporated into our Vendor Operations Manual, which our suppliers are able to access via a secure website. We expect that our direct suppliers will comply with our Conflict Minerals Policy and that they will (i) provide appropriate information and conduct necessary due diligence to facilitate our disclosures under Form SD regarding sources of conflict minerals within our supply chain pursuant to Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (ii) implement and communicate to their relevant personnel and suppliers policies that are consistent with our Conflict Minerals Policy, (iii) put in place procedures and contractual provisions for the traceability of conflict minerals, working with their suppliers as applicable, (iv) use reasonable efforts to source conflict minerals from smelters and refiners that have been validated by a recognized, independent third party as DRC conflict free, and (v) adopt a risk management strategy with respect to identified risks in the supply chain that is consistent with our Conflict Minerals Policy.

Information Security and Information Security Incident Response Plan
The safeguarding of confidential and sensitive information, including proprietary information, is critical to ensuring the success of our business as well as the continued availability of our information assets.

Our approach to the identification, monitoring and management of data security risks has been developed pursuant to a number of different approaches to mitigate cybersecurity threats including the adoption of technical, policy and administrative cybersecurity controls as well as reliance on RH’s Information Security Incident Response Plan and cybersecurity training.

The Company conducts various risks assessments in the area of cybersecurity including periodic independent information security risk audits. Through these assessments, the Company seeks to evaluate its information security posture against a benchmark prescribed by independent third-party firms with expertise in this area.

The type of sensitive information we may address in our business operations include, without limitation, data related to our customers, associates, temporary associates, contractors, or the personal identity of a business partner or other content specific to an individual. Some examples of this information include credit or debit card numbers and other similar sensitive information.

Our Privacy Policies detail how we collect, use, disclose and safeguard the information our customers’ provide us through our websites and mobile software systems, as well as our physical properties such as our Galleries, Outlets, distribution centers, etc. We uphold our customers’ privacy rights through a number of measures. We offer our customers opportunities to unsubscribe to promotion communications, opt-out of information transfers to third-parties, and request deletion of personal information.

Our information security incident response plan provides a framework for our response to a cyber-security incident, and includes procedures to identify, assess and mitigate the source of a cyber-security breach, to minimize damage where possible and to restore normal operations as promptly as practicable. 

We categorize our data assets and tailor our security architecture to protect them using a criticality approach. By using an industry-accepted critical security controls framework to measure our cyber-security and protocols, we are able to monitor the use and performance of our:

Data security	Backup and recovery systems
Network security	Application security
Logging activities	Vulnerability management
Endpoint detection, response and configuration	Access management

Our information security incident response plan provides a framework for our response to a cyber-security incident, and includes procedures to identify, assess and mitigate the source of a cyber-security breach, to minimize damage where possible and to restore normal operations as promptly as practicable. 

As an additional measure of protection, for fiscal 2021, we made available on a voluntary basis to our Board of Directors and our leadership team a third-party service that monitors such person’s home network and mobile devices for potential malicious cyber activity. This third-party service also monitors and conducts a dark web scan for their personal information to help identify potential unauthorized uses.

Cyber Liability Insurance Policy
We maintains a cyber liability insurance policy that covers certain losses and liabilities arising from cyber-attacks and data breaches. Subject to its terms and limitations, our policy includes coverage for business interruption and other costs associated with a covered breach event such as forensic consultants, notice to affected individuals and certain defense and litigation proceedings. The coverage limits and self-insured retentions are reviewed on an annual basis. 

Board Oversight of Cybersecurity Matters
The Audit Committee assumes primary responsibility at the board level for the monitoring and oversight of cybersecurity issues and risks related to information security. The Company regularly reports to the Audit Committee, typically on a quarterly basis, regarding information security and cybersecurity matters including the results of risk assessments and third party audits as well as the Company’s adoption of security enhancements to mitigate risk related to cybersecurity threats. See “Corporate Governance—Board’s Role in Risk Oversight.” Ms. Mitic, a member of our Audit Committee, has specific applicable experience that relates to the importance of information security around personal information of consumers. We believe that Ms. Mitic’s current experience at eBay, Inc. as well as her prior experience at Yahoo! and Facebook, is particularly relevant in relation to our Board’s review and monitoring of cybersecurity topics.

Investment Policy
Our investment policy requires that investment assets held by us meet the objective of safety and preservation of principal while providing sufficient liquidity to meet the operating cash requirements of the Company, with the objective of investing funds at favorable yields with minimum risk.

U.S. Sanctions Compliance Policy
Our U.S. sanctions compliance policy requires that we screen our vendors to reduce the risk of transactions with countries and parties that are embargoed and sanctioned by the U.S. government.

Whistleblower Policies
Our SOX whistleblower policy addresses the reporting of certain categories of misconduct, including misconduct related to accounting practices, internal accounting controls or auditing matters, and prohibits retaliation against those reporting such misconduct. Submissions may be made on an anonymous basis. We also have other programs to allow for reporting of potential misconduct in other aspects of our business.

Disclosure Committee & Charter
We have a Disclosure Committee to assist the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer in fulfilling their responsibility for oversight of the establishment, maintenance, review and evaluation of controls and other procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in its publicly filed reports pursuant to the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in applicable rules and forms, that the Company’s public disclosures are materially accurate and complete and otherwise comply with applicable disclosure requirements, and that there exists an open avenue of communication regarding disclosure such that senior leadership can make informed decisions relating to materiality and disclosure obligations. 

Membership of the Committee is designated by our Chief Executive Officer and includes executives representing key areas of the Company’s operations that may be relevant to the Company’s filings with the SEC and other public disclosures, including senior representatives from the following key areas of the Company: finance and accounting, legal, tax, compliance, risk, internal audit.

Chief Compliance Officer & Charter
In 2020, the Board formally established a charter that sets forth certain responsibilities and requirements applicable to our Chief Compliance Officer, inclusive of overseeing and administering the Company’s corporate and compliance policies with the objective of fostering a culture that integrates compliance and ethics into business processes and practices and maintaining and monitoring a system for reporting and investigating potential compliance and ethics concerns. The Chief Compliance Officer is expected to report regularly to the Audit Committee and/or the Nominating and Governance Committee as appropriate with regard to compliance with applicable laws and regulations, relevant topics concerning corporate governance, and any other material matters within the responsibility of the Chief Compliance Officer.

Other Appropriate Uses of Corporate Funds
To provide further assurance around the appropriate use of corporate funds for business purposes and to further assist with mitigation of risks around conflicts of interest and corruption, we have adopted several policies and guidelines that cover such items as (i) the authority of our associates to bind the company to certain contractual obligations, and (ii) limitations and controls around expenditures related to travel, entertaining and gifting and other expenses.

Political Activity
We generally do not use corporate funds to make contributions to support or oppose federal, state or local political parties, candidates or campaigns or offer our Galleries in support of such efforts. Our statement on political activity is available in our RH Code of Business Conduct under Charters & Policies.

One of our core values is innovation. We value innovation, taking risks and boldly going where no company has gone before. We believe you’re either striving to get better, or allowing yourself to get worse – there is no such thing as staying the same. The power of innovation comes from leveraging the creative minds and spirit of all of our people, at all levels of the organization. We strive to build an environment that encourages people to challenge conventional thinking, and to ask “why?” and “why not?” We embrace those people who have the courage to put forth new ideas and breathe new life into our company. Innovation is at the core of what we do.

We continue to evolve and innovate our programs and our approach to ESG matters.