Transparency Act Report 2023
Transform your PDFs into Flipbooks and boost your revenue!
Leverage SEO-optimized Flipbooks, powerful backlinks, and multimedia content to professionally showcase your products and significantly increase your reach.
TRANSPARENCY ACT<br />
REPORT <strong>2023</strong><br />
Due diligence assessments for sustainable business practices<br />
HAUGEN-GRUPPEN NORDIC<br />
Established: 1916<br />
Adress: Delitoppen 5, 1540 Vestby<br />
NACE-Industry: 46.390 Non-specialised<br />
wholesale of food and beverages<br />
Employees: 282<br />
Contact: Stig Kongsfjell
About us<br />
Haugen-Gruppen was founded more than 100 years ago. Genuine passion & curiosity for food and beverage has led<br />
us to work with brands from all over the world. We currently have a strong presence in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and<br />
Finland. We supply supermarkets, service stations, canteens, cafes, gourmet restaurants and the Norwegian stateowned<br />
wines and spirits retailer, Vinmonopolet.<br />
Together, we build strong categories and develop new concepts. Naturally, we comply with international guidelines on<br />
the environment and climate change, as well as ethical business practices. We also implement our own initiatives that go<br />
beyond these.<br />
This statement includes Haugen-Gruppen Norway, Haugen-Gruppen Sweden, Haugen-Gruppen Finland and Haugen-<br />
Gruppen Denmark.<br />
GUIDELINES FOR RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS CONDUCT<br />
We are facing ever greater challenges related to climate, environment and sustainability, and our contribution from a<br />
sustainability perspective is therefore also increasingly important. As a company, we want to continuously operate with<br />
good measures throughout our value chain.<br />
It is central to Haugen-Gruppen’s values that we act responsibly towards people and the planet, and hereby contribute<br />
towards a sustainable future. Based on the UN’s sustainability goals, we have defined goals for where we can put in<br />
greater effort and make a difference. These goals form the framework for our sustainability strategy.<br />
Haugen-Gruppen has partners from all over the world and we want to be a positive catalyst and a driving force for<br />
sustainability throughout the value chain for food and drinks. We welcome the <strong>Transparency</strong> <strong>Act</strong> that came into force<br />
during the summer of 2022 welcome, as this will drive further measures linked to human rights and decent work.<br />
Our dedication to ethical issues has led us to develop a comprehensive set of guidelines for our employees, vendors,<br />
and partners. These guidelines are designed to ensure that our business operations have minimal negative impact on<br />
environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters.<br />
Our set of guidelines includes:<br />
• Code of Conduct for employees<br />
• Code of Conduct for suppliers<br />
• Whistleblower<br />
• GDPR<br />
Our Code of Conduct for Suppliers is based on the principles of Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI). It complies<br />
with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the U.N Declaration of Human Rights, the UN’s Conventions on<br />
children’s rights and the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, the UN Global Compact and the OECD<br />
Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The BSCI also includes Anti-Bribery and Anti-corruption guidelines.<br />
Methodology for due-diligence assessments<br />
INTERNAL ASSESSMENTS AND BOARD ENDORSEMENT<br />
Haugen-Gruppen is subject to the <strong>Transparency</strong> <strong>Act</strong> and, as such, is required to provide accounts of our due diligence<br />
assessments. Our work with the <strong>Transparency</strong> <strong>Act</strong> starts with a thorough assessment within our organization and an<br />
extensive review of our supplier network. Following this, we assess the risk of potential violations of fundamental human<br />
rights and decent working conditions. This risk assessment includes evaluating both the severity and probability of any<br />
identified risks.<br />
The responsibility for the implementation and monitoring of compliance with these guidelines has been assigned to our<br />
Chief Financial Officer.
INTERNAL EVALUATION<br />
At Haugen-Gruppen, our commitment to responsible business conduct begins with an initial risk assessment. This<br />
assessment serves as the foundation for our due diligence process. We have undertaken a comprehensive risk<br />
assessment and identified high-risk areas, prioritizing them based on severity and likelihood. We have determined<br />
that the product groups food and beverage are the primary areas for further assessment in <strong>2023</strong>. This also reflects The<br />
Norwegian Government Agency for Financial Management (DFØ) High Risk List.<br />
SUPPLIER SURVEY<br />
To ensure we have the most current information on our suppliers’ conditions, we utilize Factlines. Their software and<br />
methodology are well-suited for supplier research, risk assessments, and documenting subsequent actions. Our due<br />
diligence is informed by the findings from these investigations.<br />
Haugen-Gruppen commits to an annual collection of data from our suppliers through self-assessments. These<br />
assessments are designed to meet the UN Global Compact’s requirements and include inquiries about fundamental<br />
human rights and decent work environments, adhering to OECD guidelines. The self-assessment encompasses the<br />
following areas:<br />
1. Corporate social responsibility, strategy, and guidelines<br />
2. Supply chain: follow-up, insight, and control.<br />
3. Risk and due diligence assessments<br />
4. Country risk<br />
5. Management systems in the company<br />
6. Working conditions and rights<br />
7. Ethnic groups and the environment<br />
8. Conflict minerals<br />
9. Anti-corruption<br />
The risk-related information is incorporated within Factlines and guided by the International Trade Union<br />
Confederation’s (ITUC) labor rights guidelines and <strong>Transparency</strong> International’s corruption index.<br />
We have evaluated all significant suppliers against the high-risk list provided by the Norwegian Agency for Public and<br />
Financial Management (DFØ).<br />
Those matching the risk list have been included in this year’s due diligence data collection. The <strong>2023</strong> survey is<br />
concentrated towards the food and beverage suppliers and suppliers that did not answer previous survey. Most of<br />
these suppliers originate outside of the Nordics.<br />
This data collection is pivotal for assessing risks within our supply chain, utilizing the latest information from our<br />
suppliers. The survey lays the groundwork for subsequent follow-ups. Should the self-assessment or other indicators<br />
reveal deviations, we promptly engage with the concerned supplier. The objective is to collaboratively prevent and<br />
mitigate any negative outcomes.<br />
Findings and results<br />
SELF-ASSESSMENT OF HAUGEN-GRUPPEN<br />
Haugen-Gruppen has conducted a self-assessment in Factlines with a sustainability score of 88/100. No violations of<br />
human rights or decent working conditions have been found in our own business. Potential for improvement has been<br />
identified in policies and guidelines. This is reflected under further work and measures.<br />
SUPPLIER SURVEY<br />
The survey we conducted in Factlines had a cumulative response rate of 31 %. As this year’s survey followed up<br />
suppliers who did not answer last year this is an acceptable response rate. In addition, most of the suppliers originate<br />
outside of the Nordics and have less experience answering these kinds of questions. Most of our suppliers score at low<br />
to medium risk.
Name Recipients Response percent Risk score<br />
Haugen-Gruppen Nordic Group 20 25% Low – medium risk<br />
Haugen-Gruppen Norway 20 40% Low – Medium – High risk<br />
Haugen-Gruppen Sweden 18 22% Low – High risk<br />
Haugen-Gruppen Denmark 43 35% Low -medium risk<br />
Haugen-Gruppen Finland 5 20% Low Risk<br />
Based on the survey, one supplier reports a breach of ethical guidelines, we will contact the supplier in question.<br />
There were no other actual negative consequences.<br />
We have uncovered some common areas of improvement for our suppliers:<br />
1. Lack of ethical guidelines<br />
2. Lack of system, routines for risk assessment of suppliers.<br />
3. Lack of system and routines to be able to check possible violations of human rights and anti-bribery policy.<br />
4. Lack of system for measuring and following up on how they affect the environment.<br />
There are also several of the suppliers who have not conducted their own due diligence assessments, and there is thus a<br />
risk associated with a lack of information about their own subcontractors.<br />
Further work and measures<br />
We want to continue our work and get an even better overview of the risks that lie in our value chain. It is also important<br />
to us that we constantly assess the need for policies and guidelines for our own business.<br />
STATUS ON ONGOING MEASURES <strong>2023</strong> AND NEW MEASURES FOR 2024/25<br />
<strong>Act</strong>ivity Start year Information Estimated date of<br />
completion<br />
Lack of ethical guidelines at suppliers 2022/23 We have followed up the suppliers in question for 2022/23 Continuous<br />
Lack of policy addressing human-rights<br />
at suppliers<br />
Lack of routines for Due Diligence at<br />
suppliers<br />
2022/23 We have followed up the suppliers in question for 2022/23 Continuous<br />
2022/23 We have followed up the suppliers in question for 2022/23 Continuous<br />
Update our own ethical guidelines <strong>2023</strong>/24 Update with information regarding conflict materials (RMI)<br />
and respect for indigenous groups<br />
Start using Factlines as a prequalification<br />
tool<br />
Look at internal recourses and<br />
ownership of ESG matters incl. supplier<br />
due diligence<br />
<strong>2023</strong>/24 This will continue<br />
End 2024<br />
<strong>2023</strong>/24 End 2025<br />
Implement an ESG policy <strong>2023</strong>/24 End 2024<br />
Follow up suppliers with High risk <strong>2023</strong>/24 End 2024<br />
Consolidate policies at group level <strong>2023</strong>/24 End 2024<br />
Vestby, 30th June 2024<br />
The board Haugen-Gruppen Nordic AS<br />
Haraldur R. Jónsson<br />
Chairman of the board<br />
Marino Marinosson<br />
Board member