Compliance, ethics and human rights commitments

At Beckers, we are committed to respecting and protecting human rights, we rely on our values and are guided by key ethical principles that are defined in our Code of Conduct.

Our Code of Conduct

The Beckersopen_in_newCode of Conduct defines key ethical principles that guide us in our daily business and applies at all levels, from executives and managers to line employees. We consistently apply our core values with respect to children’s rights and human rights, labor standards, environmental standards and anti-corruption. These conditions are defined in the United Nations Global Compact.

As Appendixes to the Beckers Code of Conduct, we have added the UN Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact, the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the Children's Rights and Business Principles, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Anti-corruption and bribery

No one may, directly or indirectly, demand or accept, offer or give any kind of bribe, kickback or any other unlawful or unethical benefit to employees or other representatives or associates of the Beckers Group or its companies or any third party. We have an annual risk assessment that was started by our Legal department in 2021. In the area of anti-corruption we check whether the sites have a process for reporting any offer or receipt of a bribe (i.e., a kickback, favor, or anything of value, offered directly or indirectly, to influence a business or government decision) and the process to prevent the concealing or disguising of one kind of expense as another. There were no legal actions for corruption in 2021.

Anti-competitive behavior

All companies within our Group compete vigorously but honestly for business and uphold the highest standards of business ethics. We respect anti-trust and fair competition laws that prohibit certain actions that unfairly and dishonestly harm competitors. We also act in accordance with fair business, marketing and advertising practices. There were no legal actions for anti-competitive conduct, antitrust or monopoly practices in 2021. We have a Competition Compliance Policy that is made available to all employees in all relevant languages.

Whistleblowing

Compliance with our Code of Conduct is continuously monitored by the Management of the Group. The Chief Financial Officer holds the dual role of Compliance Officer and oversees compliance on a global level. We support open and fair discussion of issues and concerns. We encourage and expect our employees to report any incidents of non-compliance or suspected non-compliance with our Code of Conduct. We have established several whistleblowing channels to protect the anonymity of those reporting. We had a total of 14 cases reported in 2021, 10 of which were reported through our whistleblowing channels. All of them have been handled according to procedure. Only two remain subject to remedial action plans.open_in_newMore about our vision

Children’s rights

Beckers condemns all forms of child and forced labor. We are not aware of any incidents of child or forced labor in our operations. To monitor the social and environmental sustainability of all our suppliers, we use a three-step process and ask our key suppliers to conduct EcoVadis assessments which cover labor and human rights issues. Should any incidents arise, we will take appropriate measures to eradicate all forms of child and forced labor. Now we want to take a more systematic approach, because we have realized that there is much more to protecting children's rights than simply supporting charities. We realized we have more impact on children’s lives than just via our supply chain. In 2020, we started to engage in these issues on a much deeper level. We joined a project initiated by our owner, Lindéngruppen, and the Global Child Forum. We also took the first strategic steps to putting children’s rights on our agenda. We broadened our understanding of how our business impacts children, raised awareness for the topic among our top management, and prioritized the steps needed to engage with children as stakeholders.

We have committed to children and youth being our focus in our global and local community engagement. All our community and charity projects are measured against their impact on children and youth in the communities around us. In collaboration with our parent company Lindéngruppen we are also reporting on our progress and implementation of the business workbook “How to implement a Children’s Rights Perspective”.  

Our Supplier Code of Conduct

Our Supplier Code of Conduct defines our basic requirements for all suppliers of goods and services, in particular concerning their responsibilities towards their stakeholders and the environment. Beckers expects its suppliers to adhere to international human rights and environmental laws and practices, monitor their ethical performance, and take immediate and thorough steps in cases where this ethical performance comes into question.

The UN Global Compact  

The UN Global Compact has been a fundamental part of our values and Code of Conduct for many years. By signing the Global Compact, we take responsibility within the areas of human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption, and make an even stronger commitment to taking action and reporting on our progress.

All policies and commitments mentioned on this page are signed by Beckers Executive Committee and validated by the Beckers Board of Directors. They are made available to all employees on the Beckers Intranet and/or our website, via copies for individuals e.g. during the starting period and displayed on all sites centrally. Code of Conduct training is offered for all employees. Only first level employees and their supervisors are excluded at the moment. A training that is more relevant for their factory floor responsibilities is planned. The share of employees trained in human rights policies or procedures was 36 percent in 2021.