This Code of Conduct is the basis for all of our operations at Berner Group. The twelve principles included in the Code of Conduct concern our key duties and our commitment to operating responsibly as an organisation and as employees in every aspect of our day-to-day
work.
At Berner, maintaining a high level of business ethics is the starting point for our operations. We want to act responsibly and do the right thing so that we can keep the trust of all our stakeholders.
Every Berner employee in every country we operate in is obligated to follow this Code of Conduct and its principles while working for Berner. Under this Code of Conduct, every Berner employee is also obligated to immediately report all suspicions or observations of inconsistencies with or violations of the Code of Conduct.
Our Code of Conduct represents our values, which are work, integrity and humanity. These values have guided Berner’s operations since the late 19th century. Responsibility is an integral part of both our values and our business—we want to operate responsibly as well as promote responsibility.
If you have any questions about the Code of Conduct or how it should be interpreted, do not hesitate to contact your own supervisor or the senior management.
For our suppliers, we have a separate Berner Group’s Supplier Code of Conduct.
Each of us has the duty and the responsibility to follow the Code of Conduct. We want to do the right thing—in every situation.
Antti Korpiniemi
CEO
Berner Ltd
photo Seija Laine
1. We comply with good governance
We consistently comply with all applicable laws in all our activities. We follow international
standards, such as the ten principles of the Global Compact, core ILO Conventions and the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and
Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
We also expect all our business partners to comply with the law. We do not accept any breach
of law or do we accept being a party to any breach of law. We aim at long-lasting, reliable
and open business relationships with all our partners.
2. We respect human rights
We are committed to respecting internationally recognized human rights in all our operations
and promoting them in practice. We do not tolerate human rights violations in any form. We
require, that all of our partners also respect all internationally recognized human rights and
we do not tolerate any human rights violations in our supply-chain. We do not tolerate any
form of discrimination, violence, harassment or bullying. No discrimination based on gender,
religion, age, ethical or social background, disability, ethnic and national origin, union
membership, political activity, sexual orientation, race, or any other condition that could give
rise to discrimination is allowed.
We treat our employees with respect and dignity and treat everyone equally in recruitment,
compensation, career progress and other personnel matters. Our employees are assessed
based on their skills and competence. We treat and serve all customers and business partners
equally without discrimination.
3. We treat each other equally and respect labour rights
We treat our employees equally and comply with applicable labour laws. We comply with the
ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and all other core ILO
conventions.
We do not accept any form of child labour, bonded labour, indentured, trafficked, non-
voluntary or forced labour. We do not accept young workers being subjected to work that is
harmful for their health and development. Neither do we accept in this relation any other
activity from any of our partners that contradicts national laws or international standards. We
always comply with local work legislation and collective labour agreements. We respect our
employees’ freedom of association, the right to form trade unions and their right to bargain
collectively. We respect international principles of responsible recruitment including the
Employer Pays Principle. The Employer Pays Principle is commitment to ensure that the
employer pays the costs of recruitment.
We are committed to the well-being of our employees and to treating them fairly. As part of
this commitment, we ensure that all employees are paid at least a living wage. A living wage
is a wage level that covers the basic needs of the employee and their family, such as housing,
food, healthcare, education, and other necessities, and enables them to live a decent life. We
do not accept any deviation from this principle, whether from ourselves or any of our
partners. We continuously ensure that wage levels remain adequate as local living costs
evolve.
We comply with international principles on fair pay and responsible employment. We respect
our employees’ rights to a fair and equitable wage, and decisions on recruitment and
remuneration are based on merit, including skills, responsibilities, experience, and education.
We strive to provide flexible working conditions and are committed to building an inclusive
work environment with equal opportunities and treatment.
4. We promote occupational health and safety
We comply with national occupational health and safety legislation. We strive to provide a
safe and healthy workplace for all employees. We promote safety in all our business facilities,
and we make sure that all our employees and colleagues have a good and functioning work
environment as well as access to tailored personnel protection equipment. We assess and
identify potential and actual threats to the health and safety of workers, and we maintain
records of all health and safety incidents in our business facilities. We aim to prevent and
mitigate accidents and work-related injuries and to ensure the health of all our employees.
We ensure awareness about occupational health and safety regularly through training and
communication. Our partners must comply with all local labour laws and international human
rights standards in relation to work safety requirements.
5. We don’t accept bribery or corruption in any form
Berner Group has zero tolerance towards all forms of bribery, corruption, extortion, and
embezzlement, and complies with all international and national standards in relation to anti-
corruption and bribery. We do not promise or pay bribes or any other forms of illegal
payments to authorities or anyone else, or advice or incite to anyone to offer or accept them.
We do not tolerate any form of money laundering and we comply with all standards and
regulations in relation to money-laundering, terrorist financing and any other illegal activities.
We provide awareness to our workers about our approach and measures against unethical
behaviour and promote compliance within the company through training and communication.
We transparently disclose about our activities, structure, and performance in accordance with
applicable regulations and industry benchmark practices.
6. We do not accept fraudulent activity
We do not accept fraudulent activity in any circumstances. Any kind of dishonesty, fraud,
embezzlement, stealing and other similar illegal or unethical acts are prohibited.
Misrepresentation, manipulation and concealment of information, making false claims or
knowingly misleading actions for one’s own or a third party’s benefit, or to the detriment of
the Berner Group, its employees, stakeholders or a third party, are not permitted.
7. We compete in a fair way
Our operations strive for fair and open competition and do not allow any illegal or restricting
business methods. We do not take part in activities that hinder or in any way restrict fair
competition. We comply with all applicable competition laws. All our employees are required
to inform directly without delay of conditions which could be perceived as a conflict of
interest.
8. We operate responsibly in relation to gifts and hospitality
Any personal gifts or hospitality must be considered of little value, casual and common. The
giving or accepting of a gift or hospitality cannot give rise to an explicit or implicit expectation
of anything in return. Accepting a gift or hospitality cannot lead to any kind of relationship
with dependency between the parties. We comply with all laws and standards issued on
giving and accepting gifts and applicable standards are assessed in accordance with the legal
requirements of each jurisdiction. More detailed instructions regarding gifts and hospitality
can be found in our internal guidelines on gifts and hospitality.
All larger donations to charities and other non-governmental organizations are decided by the
Board of Directors. We do not make any donations in cash.
9. We respect confidentiality
We comply with the strictest rules and best practices of confidentiality regarding our
personnel, customers, and business partners. We also handle all trade secrets and other
confidential information with the highest level of confidentiality and privacy. Customer
information and personal data is strictly confidential, and we only collect required data.
We comply with the General Data Protection Regulation and all other applicable laws in
relation to confidential information. All our employees deal with confidential information with
the highest level of care and ensure that such information is not given or end up with third
parties.
10. We act responsibly and openly in communications and marketing
We communicate with our stakeholders openly and transparently. We communicate
commercially in a fair and open manner. We follow all marketing standards and comply with
the Consumer Protection Act and all other good practices in consumer marketing. Marketing is
always done truthfully, and we refrain from misleading statements.
11. We take care of the environment
We comply with national environmental legislation. We consider the responsible management
and prevention of issues related to the environment, health, and safety to be an integral
aspect of our business. We continuously identify and decrease the environmental impacts of
our operations. Everyone at Berner has the possibility to act in an environmentally
sustainable and friendly way and to mitigate the effects of climate change.
We wish to promote sustainable production and consumption by our employees and in our
locations. All our employees are encouraged to attempt to act energy-efficiently, sort
discarded materials properly and make environmentally friendly decisions daily.
We continuously improve our operations and knowhow so that we can develop and
manufacture high quality products that put less of a burden on the environment. Through our
selection of raw materials, we ensure that our products and processes are safe for both the
user and the environment. We encourage and instruct our customers and consumers to use
our products in an environmentally friendly way.
12. We respond to violations of this Code of Conduct immediately
All Berner employees are responsible for implementing and acting in compliance with this
Code of Conduct. All Berner employees are responsible for reporting immediately any
suspected or detected inconsistencies and violations of this Code. Suspected violations of the
Code are investigated and resolved by Berner. We respond to all violations of this Code
immediately and mitigate such violations effectively and in a timely fashion.
We encourage employees to contact a supervisor or the management team if they have
suspicions or have noticed something without any fear of retaliation.
However, if you want to report your suspicions anonymously, you can do so using the
external WhistleB communication channel (available in eight languages):
https://report.whistleb.com/en/berner
The reporting process is encrypted and password-protected. Appointed teams at Berner
companies will respond to the reports. Our external stakeholders may also use the WhistleB
channel to anonymously report their suspicions.