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 offer a range of recommendations on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.

• environmental (E)
• social factors (Social)
• corporate governance (Governance)

These principles guide our work. We aim to drive sustainable development and believe that companies that focus on sustainability will become more competitive and profitable. We offer a range of courses on ESG topics, a digital tool for analysing ESG risks and opportunities to discuss sustainability with our customer advisors. We also offer a range of relevant funding services to support the green transition.

You must carry out due diligence to avoid harm to people, society and the environment.

We are subject to the Act relating to enterprises’ transparency and work on fundamental human rights and decent working conditions (the Transparency Act). Under the Transparency Act, enterprises must carry out due diligence in accordance with the OECD Guidelines. Both the Transparency Act and the OECD Guidelines require enterprises to assess their involvement in adverse impacts through due diligence, and determine whether they cause, contribute to or are directly linked to those impacts.

In 2022, we established a policy for conducting due diligence and complying with the Transparency Act. Under our internal policy, our report must go beyond the requirements of the Transparency Act by covering climate and the environment, social issues and corporate governance, as well as customers and other stakeholders in line with the OECD’s definition of ‘business relationships’.

You can read our due diligence report on this page

Under our ethical guidelines and anti-corruption policy, employees and others working on our behalf must not, as a general rule, accept gifts or other benefits in connection with their work or services. These rules aim, among other things, to prevent corruption and avoid questions about impartiality.

There are a few limited exceptions to the ban on accepting gifts, but our rules do not allow our employees to accept gifts during the festive season. Our employees may not attend Christmas parties, Christmas lunches or other events or gatherings without a clear business purpose.

We are committed to being a company with responsible and ethically aware employees. Our relevant governing documents:

• Code of ethics (Norwegian)
• Anti-corruption policy (Norwegian) and Anti-corruption policy (English)
• Sustainability policy (Norwegian)

If you believe we are conducting our business in breach of applicable law or generally accepted ethical standards, or you are aware of fraud or other misconduct against us by customers or others, we encourage you to report it to us.

An external provider operates our digital whistleblowing channel, where you can report your concerns anonymously. Although the channel is in English, you are welcome to write in Norwegian.