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Micron’s commitment to ethical practices and corporate responsibility

Michael Ray | March 2024

As a new member of the Micron team, I’m inspired by our company’s recent recognition in the areas of corporate responsibility and ethical business practices. Values are increasingly important to an array of stakeholders who gravitate toward companies who take seriously their commitments to employees, customers, suppliers and shareholders. Micron’s designation as both one of the “most just companies in America” and one of the “most ethical companies” in the world highlights our ongoing work to improve the communities in which we work and live. 

A testament to just practices: Ranking 10th among America’s most just companies 

JUST Capital, in collaboration with CNBC, recently included Micron in its America’s Most JUST Companies list, ranking our company 10th out of 937 companies. JUST Capital asks thousands of Americans each year what companies should prioritize when it comes to just business behavior, and then it evaluates companies on those priorities. Micron’s position on the list reflects the importance we place on the priorities most often named: community engagement and support, environmental sustainability, investments in our team members and strong corporate governance.

Ethical excellence: Micron among the world’s most ethical companies 

This month Ethisphere included Micron in its most recent World’s Most Ethical Companies list. Ethisphere conferred this esteemed distinction on only 136 companies worldwide, after a detailed process that assesses companies’ commitment to conducting business with ethics and integrity. Micron’s inclusion on Ethisphere’s list is a tribute to our ethical culture and the importance all of our team members place on doing business the right way. It also demonstrates the strength of our ethics and compliance programs and the breadth of our philanthropic activities worldwide. 

Micron’s recognitions serve as milestones in our continuous journey to do well and do good. We strive to design and build innovative products of exceptional quality. We work hard to be good stewards of shareholder value. We also take seriously our opportunity to care for our customers, our team members and the communities in which we operate. I’m honored to be among those team members who think not only about achieving success but also about how we achieve that success. 

About JUST Capital 

Per its website, the mission of JUST Capital, an independent nonprofit, is to demonstrate how just business — defined by the priorities of the public — is better business. Its goal is to help companies create value for all their stakeholders — their workers, customers, communities, the environment and shareholders — by focusing on the issues that matter most to Americans. To date, JUST Capital has polled more than 170,000 Americans on the issues they believe companies should prioritize when it comes to just business behavior, and those insights guide their work. The organization believes that business and markets can and must be a force for the greater good and that, by shifting the resources of the $21.6 trillion private sector, it can drive competition to build a better future for all. The organization’s research, rankings, indexes, initiatives and new offerings — like the JUST Jobs Scorecard — help track, analyze, incentivize and scale corporate stakeholder performance. JUST Capital publishes the annual America’s Most JUST Companies list, the JUST 100, in partnership with CNBC. To learn more, visit www.JUSTCapital.com

For the annual rankings, JUST Capital collects and analyzes corporate data to evaluate the 1,000 largest public U.S. companies across 20 issues identified through comprehensive, ongoing public opinion research on Americans’ attitudes toward responsible corporate behavior. JUST Capital has engaged more than 170,000 participants on a fully representative basis since 2015.  

Compared to its Russell 1000 Index peers, companies in the JUST 100 on average:

  • Pay 11.8% more to their workers for a family-sustaining living wage (78.3%).

  • Provide 7.2 more hours of career development training per employee.

  • Offer two more weeks of paid parental leave for both primary caregivers and secondary caregivers. 

  • Take in 99% less water per revenue dollar.

  • Emit 42% less metric tons of CO2 per revenue dollar.

  • Use 29.6% more renewable energy as a proportion of their total energy use.

  • Have a 4% higher profit margin, 2.9% higher return on equity, and 1.2% higher dividend yield.  
     

Since 2015, JUST Capital has surveyed more than 170,000 Americans on what issues they believe U.S. companies should prioritize when it comes to just business behavior. Those issues become the foundation by which we track, analyze and incentivize corporate behavior change, including rankings on the America’s Most JUST Companies list. JUST Capital evaluated 937 companies across five stakeholders, 20 issues and 236 raw data points to produce the 2024 rankings, featuring the JUST 100 and Industry Leader lists.  

About Ethisphere 

Ethisphere is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust and business success. Ethisphere has deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character and measure and improve culture. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its World’s Most Ethical Companies recognition program and provides a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA). More information about Ethisphere can be found at https://ethisphere.com

Grounded in Ethisphere’s proprietary Ethics Quotient®, the World’s Most Ethical Companies assessment process includes more than 200 questions on culture, environmental and social practices, ethics and compliance activities, governance, diversity and initiatives to support a strong value chain. The process serves as an operating framework to capture and codify the leading practices of organizations across industries and around the globe.

Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer

Michael Ray

Michael Ray is chief legal officer and corporate secretary at Micron Technology.

Michael is responsible for Micron’s global legal, compliance and intellectual property functions, comprising a team of lawyers, paralegals and other professionals. He was appointed to this position in 2024.

Michael has nearly 30 years of legal experience, including a significant tenure at Western Digital. At Western Digital, he held several leadership roles, including chief legal officer, senior counsel, assistant general counsel, vice president of legal services, and general counsel. Prior to his time at Western Digital, Michael was corporate counsel for Wynn's International, Inc., an NYSE-listed manufacturer of automotive parts and chemicals. He also served the U.S. District Court, Central District of California, as a judicial clerk and practiced labor and employment law at O'Melveny & Myers, LLP.

Michael previously served as a director of Mercy House Transitional Living Center, one of California's largest providers of services and housing for the homeless community, and the Orange County United Way. He currently serves on the board of trustees of South Coast Repertory Theater and Boston College High School.

Michael holds a bachelor's degree from Harvard College and a law degree from Harvard Law School.

photo of michael ray