ESG, ethics and whistleblowing
The OECD Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the UN Global Compact provide a range of recommendations on ESG matters.
- environment (Environmental)
- social factors (Social)
- corporate governance (Governance)
These principles guide our work. We aim to drive sustainable development and believe that companies focusing on sustainability will become more competitive and profitable. We offer several courses on ESG topics, a digital tool for analysing ESG risks, and the opportunity to discuss sustainability with our customer advisors. We also offer several relevant funding services for the green transition. Read more at Sustainability as a competitive advantage.
Assess your due diligence
Due diligence assessments must be carried out to avoid harm to people, society and the environment.
We are subject to the Norwegian Transparency Act, which concerns enterprises’ transparency and work on fundamental human rights and decent working conditions. Under the Transparency Act, enterprises must carry out due diligence assessments in line with the OECD Guidelines. Both the Transparency Act and the OECD Guidelines require enterprises to assess their links to adverse impacts and determine whether they cause, contribute to or are directly linked to them.
In 2022, we established guidelines for conducting due diligence and complying with the Norwegian Transparency Act. Under our internal guidelines, our report must go beyond the requirements of the Transparency Act by covering climate and environmental issues, social conditions and corporate governance, as well as customers and other stakeholders included in the OECD's definition of 'business relationships'.
Rules on gifts
Our ethical guidelines and anti-corruption policy state that, as a general rule, employees and others who provide services to us may not accept gifts or other benefits in connection with their work or service. The rules are intended, among other things, to prevent corruption and avoid any questions about conflicts of interest.
There are certain limited exceptions to the ban on accepting gifts, but the rules do not allow our employees to accept gifts during festive periods. Our employees may not attend Christmas parties, Christmas lunches or other events or gatherings without a clear business purpose.
Whistleblowing
We aim to be a company with responsible, ethically aware employees. Our relevant governing documents are:
- Code of Conduct (Norwegian)
- Anti-corruption policy (Norwegian) and Anti-corruption policy (English)
- Sustainability policy (Norwegian)
If you believe that we are conducting our business in breach of applicable law or generally accepted ethical standards, or are aware of misconduct against us by customers or others, we encourage you to report it to us.
Our digital whistleblowing channel is operated by an external provider, and you can report your concerns anonymously. Although the channel is in English, you are welcome to write in Norwegian.