ESG - GOVERNANCE
Actions focusing on corporate behavior
For our company to act responsibly, it requires that responsibility, or ‘sustainability,’ is integrated into the management and strategy of the company. This ensures the right direction on our journey.
Here on this page, we delve into the theme of G – governance, or management in Danish.
We will present the management structures and processes that we have integrated over the past fiscal year.
Code of Conduct for business partners
HJHansen Recycling Group has a Code of Conduct for business partners, which aligns with international standards, including the ILO’s guidelines on child labor, and fundamental principles and rights at work.
Through the Code of Conduct, we provide everyone who becomes aware of potential human rights violations at our or our partners’ workplaces the opportunity to report them. This year, we have not received any reports.
Whistleblower Scheme
With the implementation of the whistleblower scheme, we have added a section with a direct link to the platform and information that a report can be made completely anonymously.
Gifts
The section ‘gifts, entertainment, and hospitality’ has been added. Here, it’s described that as employees, we refrain from expensive or extravagant gifts, etc., to avoid being in a situation that could be considered bribery.
Recognized Employment
Within labor conditions and human rights, we have added the section ‘Recognized Employment,’ which highlights that business partners must ensure compliance with labor laws and regulations as well as social security.
Anonymous Complaints
Our business partners must have systems in place that enable fair, confidential, and anonymous complaint reporting and follow-up without fear of reprisals. This includes protecting whistleblowers among employees.
Respect for communityrights to land
We have added the section ‘Respect for communityrights to land’, where we emphasize that our partners must respect the rights of individuals, indigenous peoples, and local communities to property and land.
Audits
This year, we have conducted audits within the EU ourselves, and from next year onwards, we will commence initial audits outside the EU through a pilot project with a third party. We have aligned our Code of Conduct with the questionnaire framework for the audit materials used during audits.
Approved Buyer System
We constantly strive to set the market standard for transparency, accountability, and circular economy. Therefore, we have chosen to build a database, the Approved Buyer System, where we collect all relevant information about how we and our business partners act in relation to:
- Management
- Environment
- Workplace conditions
- Human rights
- Resource recycling
Through data, we aim to lead the direction in our industry and push the boundaries for our partners and legislation.
After a year with the Approved Buyer System, we are close to completing all data points for our European partners.
Our Approved Buyer System is dynamic, as it needs to be adjusted according to current standards. Therefore, this year we have updated the Code of Conduct for Business Partners that they must sign, aligning it with an internationally recognized auditing guide.
Our commercial staff have visited our customers across Europe throughout the year. The visits have been successful, and we do not see any significant risks in our trading. All customers have received our Code of Conduct. A few have not signed it, as they refer to the fact that the laws and regulations they are subject to already cover the environmental protection and workplace conditions described in our Code of Conduct. We have accepted this for companies within the EU.
By the end of 2023, we have conducted the first audits in Pakistan. During the year, we have visited customers in Morocco, Turkey, China, India, and Thailand to see firsthand whether the conditions are satisfactory.
Anti-corruption
We place great emphasis on combating potential corruption and money laundering. Therefore, this year we have implemented several initiatives:
Establishment of the whistleblower Scheme, where it’s possible to make anonymous reports about issues such as corruption and money laundering.
We have rewritten our Code of Conduct for Business Partners and clarified our stance on the matter, as well as included references to the whistleblower system.
We have established “The Rules of the Game,” our Code of Conduct for employees, where we once again specify how they should act in their daily work to combat corruption and money laundering.
We have held meetings regarding money laundering regulations with the responsible individuals at the sites handling cash, so they have gained insight into the rules and how to ensure compliance.
We have ‘stopgaps’ in our financial system to ensure that the anti-money laundering regulations concerning cash disbursement are not breached.
Information Security
Out of our 223 employees, the vast majority use a company phone or computer on a daily basis. Therefore, it is our responsibility to educate employees about security risks and best practices to strengthen the company as much as possible.
This year, we have rolled out a training program on information security across the organization to raise awareness about issues such as phishing emails, GDPR compliance, and the importance of strong passwords.
Status of Security Training
In the IT department, we are meticulously reviewing our workflows and processes. Furthermore, IT security has become a selection criterion when choosing suppliers for various solutions.
Our goal is for 98% of the registered users for IT security training to complete the material.
