Code of conduct for suppliers

The dignity, privacy and personal rights of all individuals must be respected.

The supplier must have routines and systems in place which ensure that privacy is protected and that no unwarranted acquisition, use or sharing of data, information or material takes place. The supplier must treat all confidential information in an ethically acceptable manner and within agreed parameters and applicable regulations at all times. Actual and suspected deviations must always be reported.

The Supplier is obliged to keep all information about Bouvet and Bouvet's customers, which they have obtained in connection with performing work for Bouvet, confidential, and must only use this information for the purposes for which the information was made known. This applies both during the execution of the work and after the work has been completed.

The Supplier is obliged to return or destroy all information that was sent to them, either after completing the work for Bouvet or upon the first request from Bouvet.

The Supplier will take the necessary considerations for the environment and is expected to comply with relevant national and international laws and environmental standards, and to obtain relevant emission permits.

The Supplier will have effective procedures for reducing negative effects on health and the environment throughout the value chain, promote sustainable resource use, and minimise greenhouse gas emissions.

The Supplier will support and respect internationally recognised human rights and ensure that they are not complicit in human rights violations.

The Supplier will have established a code of conduct and procedures to prevent or reduce potential negative consequences for human rights and decent working conditions, and will halt activities that cause or contribute to such consequences.

The Supplier will ensure compliance with the code of conduct and procedures in its own operations and in the supply chain.

Suppliers who, in accordance with the Norwegian Accounting Act are to be considered a large enterprise will carry out due diligence assessments to identify, prevent, reduce and document how they manage any negative impact on human rights in their own operations or at their suppliers and partners.

If the Supplier becomes aware of conditions in their supply chain or with other partners that have negative consequences for basic human rights or decent working conditions, the Supplier must provide Bouvet with complete and detailed information about this, including the name of the company and relevant product or service, without undue delay.

The Supplier will work actively to avoid direct or indirect discrimination based on gender, pregnancy, parental leave for childbirth or adoption, care duties, ethnicity, religion, life philosophy, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or age. The Supplier will promote fair hiring practices and treat all involved parties with respect and equality.

The Supplier will not tolerate any form of sexually intrusive, threatening, abusive or exploitative behaviour, or physical abuse, and must take immediate action if this is observed.

The supplier must provide benefits which meet any and all national legal standards for minimum pay or standards in the industry. Pay must be specified in a written agreement and paid to the employee at the agreed time.

The supplier must ensure compliance with legal provisions on working hours and that all employees receive written contracts of employment which described the terms of employment in a language the employee understands.

The supplier must respect the individual employee’s need for restitution, and ensure that all employees have the right to satisfactory holidays with pay.

The Labour Court and labour law where production takes place must be respected.

The supplier must ensure that all employees have a safe and healthy working environment which accords with recognised standards, legislation and rules. The supplier must take measures to prevent occupational accidents and damage to health, and secure all legally prescribed occupational insurance policies. Where necessary, employees must be provided with appropriate personal protective equipment and trained in its use.

The supplier must  provide regular training to ensure that employee competence related to health and safety is satisfactory.

If employees are offered accommodation, the supplier must ensure that it is clean and safe, and meets the employee’s basic requirements.

The contractor must recognise the right of employees to unionise, and must not prevent or oppose unionisation or collective negotiations on pay and conditions.

Union representatives must not be discriminated against or prevented from doing their union work.

No form of forced, slave or compulsory work are permitted. Workers must not be required to hand over their identity papers or pay a deposit to their employer, and must be free to terminate their employment with a reasonable period of notice.

Young people under the age of 18 must not do work which puts their health or safety at risk, including night work. Children under the age of 15 or still of school age must not do work which could harm their education. No new recruitment of child workers which conflicts with the above is permitted.

If the supplier already has such child labour, action plans must be established for its speedy termination. At the same time, support must be provided which gives children an opportunity to continue their education until they are no longer of school age

The supplier must comply with legislation and rules related to bribery, corruption, fraud and all other illegal business activities. The supplier must not offer or provide, either directly or indirectly, any form of improper benefit to customers, public servants or partners with the purpose of securing personnel or commercial advantages.

The supplier must not offer, directly or indirectly, gifts to or benefits for Bouvet’s employees or representatives, or any related parties to these, unless the benefit is of modest value. No gifts of money must be made. Hospitality in the form of social events, meals or entertainment can be offered if a commercial aspect is involved and costs are kept at a modest level.

Travel and accommodation costs for Bouvet’s representatives will be paid by Bouvet.

The Supplier will not cause or be complicit in a breach of competition law, such as illegal collusion on pricing, illegal market collusion, or any other form of conduct that leads to a breach of competition law.

The Supplier will not enter into agreements or arrangements that destroy competition (even if this is permitted by the applicable competition regulations), if such agreements or arrangements are unethical or incompatible with values and attitudes.

The supplier must avoid circumstances which could create a conflict of interest in its collaboration with Bouvet or give the impression of such a conflict. If the supplier becomes aware of an actual or perceived conflict of interest related to the collaboration, Bouvet must be notified immediately.

The supplier must refrain from all forms of money laundering, and must establish measures to prevent its financial transactions being used for this purpose.

The supplier must comply with applicable tax rules, and refrain from contributing to tax evasion.

The supplier must work to avoid the use of raw materials from conflict and high-risk areas in its products, and to avoid contributing to breaches of human rights, corruption, financing of armed groups or other negative effects.

The Supplier will act in accordance with prevailing sanctions adopted by the UN Security Council, the EU, Norway with associated regulations, and the USA (the Sanctions).

The Supplier will act with due care in the compliance of sanction law by observing the rules for export control in Norway, and by not entering into agreements with foreign actors with whom trade is prohibited under the Sanctions. The Supplier must keep up to date on which prohibitions are covered by the sanctions at all times, which suppliers require prior permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs prior to export, and which foreign actors they are not permitted to trade with.

If the Supplier discovers that they or one of their own suppliers or partners is affected in any way by the sanctions, the Supplier must provide reasonable assistance and cooperate in any investigation of alleged violations.