Ethical guidelines - Code of Conduct

INTRODUCTION

Joh. Johannson Kaffe AS is aware of its social responsibility. Our aim is to combine a vigorous business operations with a clear responsibility for society and the environment. An important aspect of our social responsibility is the work environment for employees who participate in the production of the products sold by Joh. Johannson Kaffe AS.

In order to clarify our attitudes towards our suppliers, our own employees and other partners, Joh. Johannson Kaffe AS has implemented Ethical Guidelines based on the internationally recognized requirements for labor and human rights as spelled out by the UN and ILO conventions. All employees and suppliers of Joh. Johannson Kaffe AS are required to act in accordance with our Ethical Guidelines.

The supplier is also expected to carry out due diligence assessments based on OECD guidelines. The supplier must thereby map, prevent, limit and account for how any negative impact on employee and human rights is handled in its own operations and within the supply chain.

Joh. Johannson Kaffe AS expects the supplier to ascertain that subcontractors further down the distribution chain also act in accordance with our Ethical Guidelines.

Should any deviation take place, we fully expect appropriate measures to be taken to improve the conditions. The time frame for implementing such measures is to be agreed between the supplier and Joh. Johannson Kaffe AS. In the event of repeated non-compliance, or if the supplier does not show a willingness to improve the conditions, Joh. Johannson Kaffe AS will consider ending its business relationship with the supplier.

Our objective is to have a positive impact on the work for human rights, labor rights and protection of the environment, both in our own company and with our trading partners.

The supplier and the supplier's subcontractors must as a minimum follow the legislation of their respective countries. In cases where conflict may arise between relevant laws and regulations and Joh. Johannson Kaffe AS’s Ethical Guidelines, the strictest regulations shall apply.

CONDITIONS AT THE WORKPLACE

1. Forced Labor/Slave Labor (ILO Convention Nos. 29 and 105)

1.1 There shall not exist any form of forced labor, slave labor or involuntary labor.
1.2 The workers shall not be forced into delivering a deposit or identity papers to their employer and shall be free to terminate the employment relationship with reasonable notice.

2. Trade Union Organization and Collective Bargaining (ILO Convention Nos. 87, 98, 135 and 154)

2.1 The workers shall, without exception, have the right to join or establish trade unions of their own choice, and to bargain collectively.
2.2 The employer shall not discriminate against trade union representatives, or prevent them from carrying out their trade union work
2.3 Should these rights be limited by law, the employer must facilitate, and in no case hinder, parallel mechanisms for free and independent organization and negotiation.

3. Child labour (UN Children's Convention, ILO Conventions no. 79, 138, 182 and ILO Recommendation no, 146)

3.1. The minimum age for workers shall not be less than 15 years and be in line with:
i) national minimum age for employment, or;
ii) minimum age for compulsory school attendance, with the highest age applicable. Should the local minimum age be set at 14 years, in line with the exception in ILO Convention 138, this can be accepted.
3.2. New recruitment of child workers in violation of the above-mentioned minimum age shall not take place.
3.3. Children under the age of 18 years shall not perform work that is harmful to their health, safety or morals, including night work.
3.4. Action plans shall be established for the rapid phasing out of child labor that is in breach of ILO conventions 138 and 182. Said action plans shall be documented and communicated to relevant staff and other stakeholders. Arrangements shall be formulated for support schemes where children are given opportunities to receive education until they are no longer of compulsory school age.

4. Discrimination (ILO Conventions Nos. 100 and 111 and the UN Convention on Discrimination against Women)

4.1 There shall be no discrimination in working life based on ethnicity, religion, age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, trade union membership or political affiliation.
4.2 Protection shall be established against sexually intrusive, threatening, insulting or exploitative behavior and against discrimination or dismissal on unfair grounds, e.g. marriage, pregnancy, parenthood or status as HIV infected.
4.3 Workers with the same level of experience and qualifications shall receive equal pay for equal work.

5. Brutal Treatment (Declaration of Human Rights)

5.1 Physical abuse or punishment, or the threat of physical abuse shall be prohibited. The same shall apply to sexual or other abuse, and various forms of humiliation.

6. Health, Environment and Safety (ILO Convention No. 155 and Recommendation No. 164)

6.1 All workers shall have a safe and healthy working environment. Necessary measures need be taken to prevent and minimize accidents and damage to health as a result of, or related to, conditions at the workplace.
6.2 All workers shall have regular and documented training in health and safety. Health and safety training shall be repeated for new employees.
6.3 All workers shall have access to clean sanitary facilities and clean drinking water. Where relevant, the employer shall also provide access to facilities for the safe storage of food.
6.4 If accommodation is provided by the employer, this shall be clean, safe and adequately ventilated, and with access to clean sanitary facilities and clean drinking water.

7. Wages and Salaries (ILO Convention No. 131)

7.1 Workers’ salaries shall, at a minimum, be commensurate with national minimum wage regulations or the industry standard, whichever is the greater. Salaries shall always be sufficient to cover basic needs, and include an amount for savings.
7.2 Salary conditions and amounts to be paid shall be agreed in writing prior to commencement of work. The employment agreement must be understandable by the worker.
7.3 Deductions from salaries as a disciplinary reaction shall not be permitted.

8. Working Hours (ILO Convention Nos. 1 and 14)

8.1 Working hours must be in line with national legislation or industry standards and must not exceed working hours in accordance with applicable international conventions. Normal working hours per week shall not normally exceed 48 hours.
8.2 Workers shall have at least one day off every seven days.
8.3. Overtime must be limited and voluntary. The recommended maximum amount of overtime is 12 hours per week, i.e. total working hours 60 hours per week. Exceptions from this rule can be accepted if this is regulated by a collective agreement or national law.
8.4 Workers must always be paid a supplement for overtime, for work carried out outside of normal working hours (see Item 8.1 above), as a minimum in line with applicable laws.

9. Regular Employment

9.1 Obligations towards workers, commensurate with international conventions and/or national laws and regulations pertaining to regular employment shall not be circumvented through the use of short-term engagements (such as the use of
contract workers, temporary workers and day workers), subcontractors or other employment relationships.
9.2 All workers are entitled to an employment contract in a language they understand.
9.3 Apprenticeship programs shall be clearly defined with regard to duration and content.

CONDITIONS OUTSIDE THE WORKPLACE

10. Use of Resources and Impact on the Local Environment

10.1 There shall be no environmental crime or predatory exploitation of resources either in the local environment or within the product's value chain.
10.2 The local environment at the production site shall not be negatively impacted by pollution. Harmful chemicals and other substances shall be managed in a responsible manner.
10.3 In the event of any conflict with local communities regarding the utilization of land areas or other natural resources, the parties shall, by way of negotiation, ensure respect for individual and collective rights to areas and resources based on custom or claim, even if the rights have not been formalized.
10.4 The production, and the extraction of raw materials for the production, shall not contribute to destruction of the resource and income base for marginalized population groups, for example through the confiscation of large areas of land or other natural resources on which these population groups depend.

THE ENVIRONMENT

11. National and International Environmental Legistation and Regulation

11.1 The production shall not be in conflict with national or international legislation and regulation pertaining to the environment.
11.2 Where applicable, relevant discharge permits shall be obtained.
11.3 Measures to reduce negative effects on health and the environment throughout the value chain shall be carried out through the minimization of emissions, promotion of efficient and sustainable resource use, including energy and water, and minimization of greenhouse gas emissions in production and transport. The local environment at the production site shall not be exploited or negatively impacted by pollution.

CORRUPTION

12. Zero tolerance

12.1 Joh. Johannson Kaffe AS has zero tolerance for corruption and has implemented requirements for employees and suppliers that override all previous practices.
12.2 All transactions undertaken by Joh. Johannson Kaffe AS are required to be contractual, legal and of a normal business nature. Employees of Joh. Johannson Kaffe AS shall never offer or accept bribes, gifts, benefits, services or other favors beyond their normal emoluments, nor shall they ever demand, offer or give such themselves.
12.3 It is made plain in the group's anti-corruption guidelines that companies in NorgesGruppen shall only do business with serious players. This implies that background checks can be carried out on suppliers and partners and that they can be asked to explain their systems and routines for anti-corruption, internal control and risk management.

Animal welfare

13.1 If applicable to its business, the supplier shall implement procedures to prevent the mistreatment of all animals, including when they are caught, raised, cared for, transported, and processed.
13.2 National and international animal welfare legislation and regulations shall be respected.

GIFTS

14. Gifts, samples and acknowledgements

14.1 Representatives for Joh. Johannson Kaffe AS are allowed to accept gifts, product samples and representative gifts bearing the donor's company logo. The value of such must not exceed NOK 300, and each recipient must only receive one example. Gifts or flowers, e.g. following a presentation or similar, are acceptable.
The purpose of product samples shall be to give Joh. Johannson Kaffe AS knowledge of the product. It is the donor's responsibility to ensure that the number of product samples and to whom they are given are in accordance with the purpose. Product samples over and above this will be considered as gifts, which is not acceptable.
Suppliers may only invite employees of Joh. Johannson Kaffe AS to events whose primary content is of a specific and clearly professional nature. In this context, invitations to lunch, dinner and moderate social activities may be accepted, subject to the approval of the invitee’s immediate superior. Representatives of Joh. Johannson Kaffe AS shall cover their own costs for travel and accommodation in connection with external events. Travel and participation in events need always to be cleared in advance with the immediate superior. The reimbursement of costs for external participants’ travel and stay at customer events must be kept to a minimum and shall not be done without special approval from the CEO.
Special care needs to be taken in connection with negotiation situations or the like, and in such situations courtesy gifts, even of minimal value, should not be accepted and attendance at or participation in events with the counterparty to negotiations is unacceptable.

Questions, difficulties with or challenges met n connection with these guidelines need to be taken up with Joh. Johannson Kaffe AS.

Political or cultural circumstances may, in certain cases, make it challenging to comply with some of the requirements in this standard. In such cases, NorgesGruppen and Joh. Johannson Kaffe AS are open to discussion of alternative approaches and solutions.

Read more about our sustainability policy here

Sustainability policy

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