Gexcon's Statement on the Transparency Act
As a global organisation headquartered in Norway, Gexcon Group (Gexcon) is in the scope of the Norwegian Transparency Act which entered into effect in July 2022.
Gexcon is committed to ensuring that all basic human rights and decent working conditions across our business partners and supply chains are respected and the appropriate due diligence is adhered to.
-
1Introduction
As a larger enterprise headquartered in Norway, Gexcon Group (Gexcon) is in the scope of the Norwegian Transparency Act which entered into effect in July 2022. The act imposes the companies in scope to carry out due diligence in line with OECD's guidelines for multinational companies, ref. Transparency Act §4. Furthermore, the companies also have an obligation to publish a statement concerning the due diligence according to Transparency Act §5.
Point 2 in this statement covers Gexcon’s structure and operations, ref. Transparency Act § 5 letter a.
Point 3 in this statement covers Gexcon’s due diligence and commitment to basic human rights and decent working conditions, ref. Transparency Act § 5 letter a.
Point 4 in this statement covers actual adverse effects and material risks which Gexcon has uncovered through due diligence, ref. Transparency Act § 5 letter b.
Point 5 in this statement covers actions Gexcon has taken to prevent adverse effects and limit material risks, ref. Transparency Act § 5 letter c.
Point 6 in this statement covers what email address Gexcon has designated to respond to requests for information, ref Transparency Act § 6.
Gexcon is continuously working on improving its work related to corporate social responsibility and equality and nondiscrimination. This statement will be updated as Gexcon progresses in its work.
-
2About Gexcon AS
Gexcon AS is parent to 10 foreign subsidiaries established in the USA, Great Britain, United Arab Emirates, India, Indonesia, China, Australia, Netherlands, Sweden, and France respectively. In addition, Gexcon AS is the parent of the Norwegian subsidiary Gexcon Certification AS. Together the companies form Gexcon Group.
Gexcon delivers services and products within technical- and explosion safety. Gexcon works with companies within the fields of process industry, oil and gas, insurance, engineering- and consulting and authorities.
The Company’s business address is on Fantoft in Bergen, Norway. The global activities in Gexcon are organised into three business units; Software, Consulting and Test, providing services and software products to Europe, Asia, North America and the Middle East.
Software develops software and sells licences and additional services such as training, support and maintenance. Software has its own R&D department localised on Fantoft in Bergen, where the company’s main product FLACS is being developed. Besides FLACS, the company also develops EFFECTS and RISKCURVES in the Netherlands through the subsidiary Gexcon Netherlands B.V. Business unit Test is organised within Gexcon AS, where both small- and large-scale testing is performed, partly to validate software simulations. These tests are run on designated locations on Sotra outside Bergen. Business unit Consulting delivers services for the global market.
-
3Due diligence and commitment regarding basic human rights and decent working conditions
Gexcon’s core values are Trustworthy, Sharing and Agile. We keep health, safety and quality in mind in everything we do, and we do business in a socially, economically and environmentally responsible manner. We are inclusive and pursue diversity, respect all employees equally and value the contributions of each person and role. We respect the cultures in the countries where we work and nurture meaningful local relationships while leveraging global capabilities and adhering to Gexcon's core values and ethics. All this is rooted in the company’s Code of Conduct and as such both a part of our culture and our expectations of new employees.
Gexcon is continually working to perform due diligence as put forward by Transparency Act § 4. Gexcon’s Code of Conduct specifically states that “we undertake due diligence of both customers and suppliers to ensure all our business partners are operating with similar values as Gexcon. We do not trade with companies that do not respect the human rights and labour rights of all their employees and subcontractors”.
To enforce this, Gexcon has established a “KYP” – Know Your Partner - procedure which is in place in order to secure that we only do business with partners who are not involved in activities that are illegal or against our Code of Conduct. The due diligence will greenlight, blacklist or orange-light a potential partner.
Furthermore, in order to map risks associated with vendors focusing in more detail on human rights and working conditions as put forward in OECD due diligence guidelines, Gexcon has introduced a process to map all current vendors in areas which are considered as high-risk areas. This work has started and will be an ongoing and continuous process. The mapping will focus on the likelihood for and severity of:
- General discrimination
- Wage discrimination
- Labour standards
- Health and safety
- Child labour
- Freedom of association
This due diligence is carried out by vendor information request forms. The information acquired will be used to assess if the vendor is in compliance with our expectations and Code of Conduct. If noncompliance is suspected, further inquiries will be made. If deemed non-compliant, actions will be taken in order to stop, prevent or limit adverse effects.
-
4Preliminary findings on adverse effects and material risks
Per the date of publishing of this statement, we have not yet uncovered any adverse effects or material risks related to basic human rights and working conditions. Any findings will be published once analyses are completed.
-
5Actions to prevent adverse effects and limit material risks
As no adverse effects were uncovered at the time of publishing of this report, no actions have been taken.
-
6Information requests regarding the Transparency Act
Until further notice, contact: anders.langeland@gexcon.com
View Gexcon's Norwegian Transparency Act Statement in PDF
Please click this link to access Gexcon's statement in PDF format.
